Till' November
by roxy mccartney
Summary: With a grunt of pain, my eyes flew open and I found my body coated in a strange orange light. I had never seen it before, but I still knew what it meant. Already my fingernails were lengthening into claws, my ears growing pointed. I was changing.
1. prolouge

It was quiet- nothing but the sound of his own breathing disturbed him up here, and he was thankful for it. Pushing some of his platinum blue hair back behind his pointed ears, he looked up and saw the familiar heart- shaped moon that was Kingdom Hearts floating in the sky. He stared at it, feeling the power of the many hearts it contained. It was truly beautiful- not like the other circular moon from his home world. No, this moon never waxed or waned- it always stayed the same. Yet as beautiful as it was, this moon stirred things within him that were better left alone. The beast side of him- the uncontrollable monster that if left unchecked could wreak havoc on those who were innocent and wicked alike- was always trying to break free. Back on his home world, he had always felt slightly wild and out of control at the time of the full moon, but that was nothing compared to what he felt now.

Before the heart-shaped moon was floating above the world that never was, there was never any moon, or moonlight.

And now that it was there- it was starting to change him.

It had only been a small feeling at first; like dull throbbing at the base of his skull. He noticed it was getting worse- everyday the pain would increase by a small amount, making him irritable and prone to violence, which was almost always directed at axel. This made him wonder if the time of the full moon had something to do with it.

'_Surely ...that date cannot affect something as powerful as kingdom hearts?' h_e thought. It made sense though- the regular moon was always bigger and brighter on that night. If this was true, then kingdom hearts' power was sure to grow tenfold on said date. This was bad news for him- who knows what could happen when the moons power took hold?

Turning around, He snorted. _'There's nothing the second-in-command can't handle.'_

Suddenly, without warning his chest constricted in pain and he doubled over, gasping for air. His chest was on fire and the pain seemed to be coming from the place his heart would be, if he had one. He stood there wincing for several minutes and eventually the pain started to subside. Standing up slowly, he glanced warily back at the heart-shaped moon.

'_It seems it has more control over me than I originally thought.'_

Turning away from the moon again, he began to feel the beast inside of him start to make itself known once more- clawing at the edge of his consciousness- wanting in. His eyes started to glow, and he mentally pushed it back, silencing it- for now. He knew it was only a matter of time before he slipped up, made a fatal mistake, and set it free.

And with the night of the next full moon so close, would he be able to keep it in check? Only time would tell.

He started to walk back to his room, wondering what the next few nights would bring.

"so it begins."


	2. one hell of a morning

There was something in his room.

He had been asleep in his bed beside the window until a moment ago, when he heard some sort of _creaking_ noise coming from somewhere is his spacious room. Now that he was awake, he struggled to listen to the unfamiliar sound without moving- he didn't want whoever (or whatever) it was to know that he was conscious.

He listened harder, and could now hear soft, rhythmic thuds on the hard castle floor. They were getting faster, as if someone was running. He sighed silently, and then quickly rolled over and shouted "BOO" to his would- be attacker. Said person was caught by surprise, tripped over a stray wristband on the floor, and fell over backwards- right onto his behind.

"Dammit Roxas! The least you could have done is clean up a bit! It's like a pig sty in here." The red head shouted, and then tossed the wristband he tripped over onto a large pile of clothes in one corner of the room.

"Well it's not my fault you decided to sneak into my room while I was asleep ya creeper! He frowned, and then made a small smirk. "Got it memorized?" he said, tapping his head.

The red head's lip twitched slightly and he frowned. "I thought I told you that was MY line?"

'_Gets him every time'_ Roxas thought to himself. Axel HATED whenever someone used "his" line, and even more when someone used it against him.

"I'll say it again if you don't get out of my room in ten, nine, eight...

Axel s eyes widened and he was up off the floor and running out of the room in a heartbeat, shouting "ok, OK, IM GOING!"

It was quiet in Roxas' room for several seconds until the pyro poked his head through the doorway again.

"Oh yeah, and the boss man said to get your ass out of bed, you have a mission today-"

And that was all he could say because Roxas had thrown one of his giant pillows at him, barley missing his head. Taking the message, he started to walk down the hallway, then called back to the blonde:

"And you'd better hurry, the new girl is waiting."

Roxas lay back in his bed, waiting for Axels' footsteps to fade, then got out of bed to get dressed into his organization coat.

"Fucking pedophile..."

**-Till November-**

Changing into my coat quickly, I practically tore open the zipper when I went to unzip it. I didn't really understand why though. Nobodies were not supposed to have feelings- we were supposed to be cold and emotionless. For some reason though, I felt exited at the fact that we have a new member so soon after I joined.

I walked quickly to the kitchen to get myself some breakfast before all the good stuff was gone; most of the time I got up late and had to make do with peanut butter on toast, which wasn't exactly my favourite food. I turned several corners and went down two flights of stairs-to the floor where the kitchen, mess hall, and the lounge were **(I do not count the grey area as a lounge). **Rounding another corner, I started to jog down the hall, no longer caring what the other members may think. Once the mess hall was in sight, I slowed down a bit and entered the large room. The mess hall was long and narrow, with a long table in the center of it. The table had fourteen chairs with it; one for each member with the fourteenth been recently added. On the right side of the room, there was a door and a window, both of which connected to the kitchen. On the left was another door, with the lounge on the other side. Directly across from me on the opposite wall, was a huge glass window that stretched from the floor to the ceiling and offered an impressive view of the dark city and the heart-shaped moon called kingdom hearts.

The room was relatively empty except for Xaldin who I could see through the kitchen window, Zexion who was sitting quietly at his seat reading his lexicon, and Xigbar who was eating fried eggs and toast at his own seat; he looked up when I came in.

"Well look who's an eager beaver THIS morning huh kiddo? Too bad for you there's no more pancakes!"

'_Damn, that is too bad...' _I thought, making my way over to the smaller table on the side where the remaining food was. I eyed the food with a grimace- there was nothing left but a few pieces of toast and a small amount of scrambled eggs. _"Good thing I don't eat that much." _Picking up my food, I went over to my spot at the large centre table and sat down at number thirteen- my number in the organization.

After breakfast, I quickly portalled to the grey room because it was on the other side of the castle, and, like axel said, I shouldn't keep the new girl waiting. I had seen her before a few times, like when Xemnas was introducing her to the organization, and a few times in the halls. She didn't talk much- I don't think I've ever even heard her say anything for that matter! From what the other members have said, I have heard that her name is Xion, and she can use the keyblade like me. I want to find out more about her- if she can use the keyblade, then maybe I can find out more about myself too.

I entered the grey room, wondering who was there. Looking to my left, I saw demyx sitting on the couch, quietly strumming away at his sitar. To my right was another couch, and a hooded girl was sitting on it. _'That must be Xion'_ I thought, walking forward towards saix to get the mission folder. I had noticed that over the past few days, the berserker was looking more and more ill, like he was coming down with a cold or something. Could nobody's get sick? I didn't know. I guess I will have to ask someone about it later. Saix looked even sicker this morning as I Walked up to him. When I was close enough, he handed me my mission folder and with a quick "be on your way", he walked past me and out the door.

"What's his problem?" I muttered to myself, turning away from the door to look at the mission folder in my hands. Just as axel has warned me the night before, I was paired up with Xion for my mission- how he knew however, was anyone's guess.

Looking up from the folder, I walked over to the couch on the right side of the room to go get Xion. I tapped her shoulder lightly to get her attention, and she looked up.

"Are you ready to go?"

"...yes" she mumbled and got up slowly.

"Alright then, let's go!" I said, motioning towards a dark portal that I had just created.

**Hey people! Thank you to all of you who have read this so far, although SOME of you *coughcoughEVERYONEcoughcough* did not leave a review! I need reviews! This is my first fan fiction and if you want to hear more then you have to ****review!**

**Please and thank you.**

"**Roxas, if you would be so kind~"**

"***sigh* the author does not own kingdom hearts."**

"**Thank you Roxas!"**

"**Don't mention it"**

"**And REVIEW!"**


	3. her tears

**Hello everyone, and welcome to chapter three...Err...Two!**

**Or something like that.**

**Anyway, just before I start, I'd like to thank the three of you who reviewed! They are as follows~**

**I want pie (you know who you are XD),**

**Cori shadowfang and Meryypoptartslover.**

**Thank you all for reviewing, it means a lot to me!**

**And with that, ON WITH THE SHOW!**

Xion and I walked through the dark portal and came out of it in twilight town. This was the world I knew the most about so far, because it is the one I had been to most often. I also had my first mission here, with Axel. It was a good thing he was there, or I would have gotten lost in those tunnels long before I completed my mission.

I glanced up at the sun- the glowing ball of fire was lazily sitting in the sky, never rising, never setting. The town was forever trapped in twilight- hence its name.

I looked down and brought out the folder again, opening it up to see our mission requirements.

'_So what is it that we have to defeat again? A darkside? Great... that sounds powerful...'_

Putting the folder away, I sighed and started to walk towards the sandlot to start searching for this thing.

"Roxas."

Xion's voice stopped me. I turned around and looked at her.

"Yeah?" I asked.

She paused for a moment, then did something that surprised me.

She took of her hood.

Underneath was jet-black hair that went down to just below her chin- it was parted to the side so that some of it dangled in between her eyes. And her eyes! They were like endless cerulean crystals that seemed so perfect on her delicate face- I couldn't tear my eyes away. She then looked up and we locked eyes for a moment, but for me it lasted what seemed like an eternity.

Xion cleared her throat, which jolted me out of the trance that I was in, and back into the real world.

"Good luck out there today."

"y-yeah." I stuttered and looked away, embarrassed. Wait? Embarrassed? Wasn't that an emotion? Oh well, that doesn't matter- I have to put thoughts of this aside for now and think about them later; we have a mission to complete.

Seemingly satisfied with my answer, she turned around and started to walk towards the sandlot. I stared at her for a few seconds, and then hurried to catch up.

-Till November-

40 minutes later, we had almost gone in a full circle, and were now standing at the bottom of Station Heights. We had looked almost everywhere; including the Usual Spot, and in the woods. We had encountered a few heartless along the way, and I'd suggested to Xion that we take a quick break, and she almost instantly agreed.

We leaned against the side of the brick wall, sipping bottles of water for a while to cool down and catch our breaths, while admiring the beautiful sunset/rise. **(1) **Xion broke the silence by asking me a question.

"So," she said, taking another sip of her water before continuing, "how long have we been looking for this thing again?"

"About 40" I sighed, taking the last sip of my own water, and then tossed the empty bottle into a nearby trash can.

"Really? It feels like it's been forever!" now finished her water, she attempted to throw her bottle into the same trash can, but missed.

"Darn, I thought I had it! She started to walk towards the trash can to pick up her bottle, but I stopped her midway.

"Don't worry, I got it." I went and picked up the bottle for her, earning a confused look from Xion.

"What was that for?" she questioned, crossing her delicate arms.

"Nothing" I said, giving her one of my signature toothy smiles. "Just being a good citizen."

She narrowed her eyes then smiled. "Okay then, Mr. Good citizen, where do we look next?"

My smile faded and I frowned. "Well, there is only one place left to look and that is the Station Plaza at the top of this hill."

"Another one! Great..." she groaned, then turned around and started to walk up the incline.

I caught up and walked alongside her. "I thought you just said you didn't like hills?"

"Well we have to get them over with sometime! And besides," she said, now starting to pant. "If the Station Plaza is the only place left to look, our target has to be up there!"

"You do have a point there."

"Damb right I have a point there! That heartless better is stinking' worth it for all this shit!" she shouted, now almost speed walking towards the Station Plaza.

I watched her walk ahead of me a bit. _'Note to self,'_ I thought, stifling a cringe_. 'Do not get on her bad side.' _Sighing, I ran to catch up with her. Again.

-Till November-

A now enraged Xion was running around the Station Plaza shouting: "where the hell is that thing?"

"Uh, Xion?" I called, trying to get her attention.

"WHAT?" she shouted, turning towards me and giving me a dirty look.

"I think you should be a little quieter..."

"QUIETER?" she shouted, running up to me, grabbing me by the collar and looking me in the eyes. "I can be as stinking loud as I want thank you!"

Those perfect cerulean orbs were sucking me in again, and I unintentionally blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Your eyes are beautiful..."

"Huh?" she squeaked, letting go of my coat. Xion was clearly surprised by my over the top statement.

Before she could respond, I heard a noise behind us, and turning around I saw the biggest heartless I've ever seen. Ever.

"What the hell it THAT?" I screamed, summoning my kingdom key keyblade.

"I take it that's our target..." Xion said with a gulp, summoning her own keyblade.

"I hope you are ready for this!" I shouted, charging towards it.

"Like hell I am!" she said following suit. "Let's kick some ass!"

-Till November-

The darkside had a variety of moves, and we had suffered a good chunk of damage, but with a few well-placed blocks and hits to the creatures head, it was close to defeat.

I dodged another energy ball, and then blocked the next one, sending it spiralling back to our attacker.

Unfortunately for me, this only made him mad.

Rearing a huge black fist, it knocked my keyblade out of my hands and across the plaza before I even had time to block.

"Shit!" I yelled, frantically looking around the plaza for my keyblade. It was on the steps a good 10 feet away.

I started to sprint towards it, but tripped half way there. I was about to get up when Xion screamed: "Roxas look out!"

I only had time to look around and see a huge black fist slam strait into my head.

I blacked out instantly.

"Roxas look out!" Xion screamed desperately, trying to get his attention. However, it was already too late, and he didn't have time to react. The darkside's fist struck him head-on, shooting him towards the clock tower and he slammed into it, causing the wall behind to crack slightly. He seemed to fall in slow motion, falling, falling forever. She flinched as he hit the ground with a sickening thud.

"ROXAS!" she screamed as a tear rolled down her face. "n-no, he can't be..." she started to sob.

One of the darkside's little shadows struck her in the leg, and with a quick and aggressive swing of her keyblade, it exploded violently into black smoke.

She turned and gave the darkside a furious look that would put even Larxene to shame.

Quickly wiping her tears away, she held her keyblade in a battle- ready pose and snarled.

"It's on now bitch."

Yes, I know you can't see the sun from the bottom of the hill. Imagine for me will you?

Anyway, here is a bit of a cliffhanger for you so that makes it more interesting, and if you didn't find it interesting, don't worry! This is going to get better I promise!

"Okay then Xion, since rox is out of commission this week, why don't you say the disclaimer?"

"Right then. Kay, the author does not own me, Roxas, or kingdom hearts as a whole."

"Thank you Xion."

"AND REVIEW!"


	4. bleed out

**Here I am again people!**

**I started this early so I could get it to you faster so be happy.**

**Enjoy!**

With a furious yell, Xion charged at the darkside and then leaped, hoping to get a head-shot and finish it off. She flew towards it and with almost in-human accuracy hit it head on.

Nothing happened.

She hung there for a milli-second with her keyblade on the creatures head before being forcibly thrown off by some sort of energy field, and landed on the other side of the Station Plaza.

Xion landed on her feet, and looked back up at the darkside which now had an almost invisible barrier surrounding it.

"What the heck? I didn't know they had FORCE FIELDS!"

She growled, and charged at it again- this time going for an even more powerful blow to the force field.

No dice.

Groaning, she stood up from where she was knocked back. She was running low on health now, so she decided to take out some of the smaller shadow heartless with magic for some spare HP. While she was doing this however, she started to feel power build up from somewhere inside her, and the more shadows she defeated, the stronger it was.

Xion had never felt power like this before; in the short time that she had started to use the keyblade, the only things she had learned were basic combos and magic. This new magic was foreign to her, and she wondered if she should actually try and use it.

Glancing up at the darkside, she saw it just standing there staring at her, as if it was daring her to try to break the barrier again.

'_Well, it's the best I have right now.'_ She thought, and then glanced over to Roxas, who still appeared to be unconscious. _'And I have to get him out of here...'_

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and started to focus on the unfamiliar power. It was difficult and at first nothing happened, but slowly it radiated outward and she felt a searing heat surround her.

The funny thing was though; it didn't burn. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked down at her arms and keyblade. They were surrounded by a glowing orange aura that radiated heat.

"Well that's new." She said.

One of the small shadows approached her again, and she gave it a good hit with her keyblade as usual.

Only this time, when she went to swing her keyblade, flames shot out and the heartless was engulfed in an inferno.

"Sweet!" she shouted. "Now I have a fighting chance!"

Xion began to slice through the ranks of shadows with her newfound power, making some of them explode on contact.

When all the shadows had been destroyed, she turned her attention back to the barrier.

Hesitantly, she struck it once with her keyblade and grunted with satisfaction when she wasn't thrown back. She even thought she felt the barrier _shift_ slightly under her blow.

"Alright then, let's do this!"She shouted, and started hitting the barrier with everything she had.

After landing numerous combos, the barrier finally cracked, and with one final _snap_ the barrier shattered and disappeared.

Wasting no time, she shot foreword and leaped up to the creatures head, severing it with a single swipe.

Xion leapt away, and then looked up just in time to see the darkside violently explode into flames, before disappearing in thick black smoke.

She stood there for a while, panting, before the magic power wore off and the fiery glow surrounding her faded. **(1)**

The adrenaline still pumping through her, she ran over to Roxas; he was laying face-down on the ground and still hadn't moved. When she got closer, she found that he was bleeding heavily from a wound to his shoulder and another slight gash on the back of his head.

"Oh Roxas..." she mumbled, gently turning him over onto his back. To her horror, she found that he was bleeding from yet another wound across his chest; it had cut open the fabric of his coat and sliced a line five inches long, and almost an inch and a half deep.

Her eyes widened and she gasped. Now that there was no pressure on the wound, it was starting to bleed harder, staining the orange brick below them red. Tears started to well up in her eyes again.

If she didn't get him to a hospital of some sort soon, he would surely die of blood loss.

'_No! I can't lose him here! Not like this!'_

Quickly throwing her hood back on, she summoned a dark portal, put Roxas 'arms around her neck, and dragging him along, walked towards dark, swirling mass.

'_Please let me make it in time!'_

**If you have played birth by sleep, this attack should be familiar to you. If not, then I'll just leave this up to your imagination. ^-^**

**So anyways, here is the chapter a day early! *cheers* I hope this wasn't TOO much of a disappointment considering it's so short, but I has writers block!**

**And now a small thanks to those of you who reviewed:**

**I want pie,**

**Sei92,**

**Cori shadowfang, **

**And Ennicx! THANK YOU ALL!**

"**Wow, rox is still out? Guess it's your turn axel!"**

***groans* "the author does not own kingdom hearts. There I said it, can I go back to playing halo now?"**

"**Yes. Yes you may."**

"**Thank you. Oh, and don't forget to review! Got it memorized?"**

**-Roxy out-**


	5. the legend

**Welcome to my longest chapter yet!**

**Enjoy~**

Xion exited the portal in a dark hallway. She knew where she was-the basement of the castle that never was was probably the most dimly lit part of the structure. At night it was almost pitch black- the only reason you could actually see anything was because of the large glass windows to the outside in almost every hallway.

She hurried down these corridors, leaving a thin trail of Roxas' blood behind her, while searching for the only place she knew of that may be able to help them.

Vexen's lab.

True, he wasn't a doctor, but him being a scientist he should be able to come up with something that would help.

Xion turned another corner and the lab was finally in sight. She rushed over to it, and then started banging on the door to get the scientists attention.

"HEEY! Open up! We need help out here!"She almost shouted, trying not to sound too desperate. She shifted Roxas slightly on her back so she could bang on the door with both hands.

_Crash_. There were grunts of anger and muted curses coming from the lab now, as well as the occasional _smash_ of something being thrown to the floor. Xion heard quick footsteps coming towards the door, and she stepped back once to avoid being hit.

The door opened to reveal a very tired, pissed off Vexen, who had some sort of potion smeared all over him.

"And what exactly is it you need help wi-"he stopped, catching sight of Roxas. "What happened here XIV?"

"Roxas got knocked out by the darkside we were fighting on our mission; it hit him head-on and then he smashed into the station tower!" Xion once again almost shouted. She was struggling to keep her voice steady.

"How badly is he hurt?" Vexen said, spying the trail of blood that lead back down the corridor.

"He has a wound to the back of his head, one to his shoulder, and another on his chest; that one is the worst I think." She said the last part quietly.

Vexen paused for a moment, eying the blood in the hall, and then looked back to Xion and Roxas again.

He sighed. "Bring him in here then, and be quick about it- if he is as badly hurt as you say, then he needs to be treated immediately."

Xion walked in without complaint and looked around curiously. The lab was very spacious, and almost as dimly lit as the halls, with the only source of light coming from large, tube-like machines on the back wall. The liquid inside them was giving off a strange green light that illuminated the entire room. She looked to the left side of the room and saw a small desk, a large see-through cabinet with what appeared to be paperwork inside, and another one beside it that read "equipment". On the right was a large container with hooks on it to keep it closed **(1)**, and another smaller see-through cabinet with some first-aid supplies in it. Looking to the back wall, she saw on either side of the "test tubes" large shelves with many different containers in them. There appeared to be everything from vials filled with strange coloured liquid, to oddly shaped stones and crystals. Near the center of the room was a long table that stretched half the length of the lab, and had small test tubes, beakers, and syringes filled with a mysterious liquid. Several of them were broken, with the contents spilled either on the table, or the floor. There were no windows.

Walking past her, Vexen took off his lab coat that was being worn over his organization coat, and threw it onto his desk.

"This way." he said, leading Xion to a door on the left side of the room that had been previously hidden by the cabinets.

She followed Vexen into the smaller room with what appeared to be hospital beds in it, now feeling a bit scared. Roxas was still unconscious, and by the fact that she could feel something warm and sticky on her neck and through her coat, he was still bleeding too.

Xion started to shiver uncontrollably. What would happen to Roxas? Would he be ok? Tears started to well up again, and she blinked them back. This was no time for panicking.

"Put him on one of those beds and take his coat off while I get the supplies; I need to see the extent of the damage." Vexen said while walking to a large metal container on the other side of the room.

She nodded and gently put him on the bed. Then she realized something; it wasn't her that was shaking.

It was Roxas.

He was beginning to shiver, and his fingers were twitching but he was still unconscious. Now she was REALLY worried.

Thinking it was just some sort of side-effect, she began to unzip Roxas' coat. There was blood everywhere now; on his chest, in his hair, on the bed, and all over her too. Ignoring the crimson liquid, she peeled of his coat and looked at the wound beneath. Once again she had to fight back tears; it looked even worse than it did before, with the wound still bleeding and the skin around it turning different shades of blue and green. He was now shirtless, with only a thin pair of black shorts on that went down to his knees.

Sighing, she took his coat and placed it on one of the other beds. She took of her black gloves too- they were also caked with blood, and if she had to help Vexen they would just get in the way. Walking back over too Roxas, she found that he was shivering even more than before- his entire body was shaking violently and his face kept scrunching up in pain. He let out a faint gasp, and then started to breathe rapidly, his chest rising and falling unbelievably fast.

'_Something is wrong...'_

"Vexen is this supposed to happen?" she said, turning around. Vexen, who was finished getting the supplies, came over and inspected Roxas. His eyes widened and he grabbed a nearby cloth, and tossed it to Xion.

"Press that onto his chest wound to stop the bleeding, and if there is a change in his condition call for me; I have to get something."And with that, he turned around and speed-walked back into his lab, slamming the door behind him.

Xion flinched as the door slammed, and she wondered what could get the academic so riled up. He was usually Mr. Calm, cool, and collected. Now he was acting like the superior would if he suddenly found out there was no way to get their hearts back- frantic.

Turning back to Roxas, she gently placed the thick cloth on his chest. She stood there with Roxas still shivering. It didn't seem to be doing much good- his blood was beginning to soak through the cloth, and was now running down the side of his chest. Tossing the soaked cloth aside, Xion grabbed another one from nearby and resumed her work.

After a few minutes, she heard Roxas moan quietly and she looked up to his face- he was still shivering, but now he was looking deathly pale, and his lips were starting to turn blue. She gently put a hand on his face, and found that it was cold as ice. She pulled her hand away, cringing. _'How can he be so cold?'_ she thought, confused. His breathing was also getting faster- if that was even possible.

Then, without warning, it stopped completely.

Xion froze, unable to do anything but stand there. _'He...he's not breathing!'_ she mentally shouted, willing herself to move, to do something, but her body would not co-operate. She knew that nobodies did not have hearts, and the only way to tell if they were alive or not was by their breathing. That meant one thing.

He was dead.

She fell to her knees, crying.

"ROXAS!" she wailed, hoping that somehow, somewhere, he could hear her.

'_If he's dead, why isn't he fading?'_

-Till November-

It was dark.

I didn't know where I was- all I could see were shadows. They seemed to be moving of their own accord, sliding and swirling. The motions reminded me of a heartless, and though I should've felt scared, I wasn't. This place, wherever this place was, had a calming sensation and I was content to just float there.

Well, there wasn't much to see here anyway.

Sighing quietly, I curled up even more into the fetal position.

That was when I realized I had a _body._ I hadn't realized this before because everything was numb.

_Who am I?_

Memories were starting to flow back to me now, bits and pieces at first, but more and more the harder I tried to remember.

_Where am I?_

I remembered what I had been doing before I blacked out, and I searched my mind for the name of the girl that had accompanied me.

_What am I?_

'_Xion...'_ I thought, panic rising inside me. _'What happened to XION?' _

Suddenly, my chest exploded with pain and I hugged my sides, screaming. My body was on fire and I had nothing to quench the flames.

Apparently, sound doesn't travel here either.

I floated there in agony, silently screaming my head off until I heard a small but powerful voice in my head.

'_**Bearer of the key...'**_ the voice began in a gruff monotone. _**'The time has not yet come for you to join our ranks...'**_

Abruptly, the pain stopped and I was put down onto a circular glowing platform with strange designs on it. I looked down and on my right saw a boy with blonde hair who looked almost identical to me, only he had some-sort of armour piece on his shoulder, and he held a keyblade in his hand backwards. He appeared to be sleeping. The left side of the platform was broken, making it an almost semi-circle. Near the center was a black X shaped mark that reminded me a little of the scar on Saix's face- I didn't know why though.

I stood there, panting, while my heartbeat slowed to a dull throbbing in my chest.

My breath caught in my throat and my eyes widened in surprise.

'_A heartbeat! But...nobodies are not supposed to have hearts! And I'm supposed to be de-'I_ stopped my train of thought before I was forced to relive that painful memory.

'_**I see you are confused young one.'**_ The voice spoke again, only it was a little louder this time.

'_Like hell I am...'_ I thought, not knowing that the voice could hear me.

'_**All will be clear in due time. For now however, you must be made aware of a legend that concerns you before being sent back.'**_

'_Sent back? Sent back where? I'm dead! I have nowhere to go back to!'_ I mentally shouted, not bothering to open my mouth. _'And what legend are you talking about?' _I was apparently ignored as the voice continued.

'_**Long ago, in a time of great suffering, there was a prophecy given to our ancestors by the gods. They were told that the last of their species was to go through great hardships, and this person must be found to ensure their survival. It was revealed that it was a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes, and he was not aware of what he was. With this knowledge, they traveled the worlds, searching for the boy in the prophecy.'**_

I thoughtfully looked down and wondered if the boy in the picture was the same one the voice was talking about.

'_**After decades of searching however, the boy was never found. Many thought him dead. Believing there was no hope left for their clan, our ancestors fled to a world known simply as "sanctuary". Thinking they would be safe there, they discarded their only means of defending themselves- their keyblades of light.'**_

My eyes widened in shock and I gasped- there used to be more keyblade wielders? Now I was really confused. I thought Xion and I, along with whoever our "sombodies" were, were the only ones that could wield the keyblade. So much for that theory.

'_**This proved to be ironic however, for the very world that was believed would protect them quickly turned into hell-hole when their enemies- the dark angels- discovered them.'**_

The name made shivers go down my spine, and I looked around, confused. It WAS just a name right?

'_**Unable to defend themselves, the angels broke the world barrier and spread suffocating darkness to the world's heart through their own keyblades of darkness. Some were able to flee the dying world, only to be cut down by a dark angel in the Lanes Between, others perished instantly when the world was overtaken by darkness, and yet others-two to be exact- did manage to escape and find refuge on another world. These two individuals, knowing they were the last surviving "master" members in the clan swore to train any others like themselves, so that maybe, one day, they might be able to live without fear of the dark angels.'**_

I stood there for a moment, waiting for the voice to continue. This story was getting interesting, though I still had no idea how it related back to me.

'_**Eventually, the two masters did find apprentices, and trained them. The three young wielders were warriors in their own right, and they had great potential. But before they could be turned into masters, they were attacked by the angels. Both the masters and two of the apprentices succumbed to darkness and perished. The third was also attacked, and his heart damaged, but he did manage to escape.**_

_**He started to live on the run, avoiding the enemy as much as possible, just trying to survive. This did not last long, for the injuries to his heart were great, and if he did not find a solution soon, he would die and along with him, the last hope for our clan. Wondering what he should do, he wandered the worlds. For some reason, his heart led him to the ruined remains of Sanctuary, where only a small part of the world had been left without darkness. This also happened to be the world's capital, and he stepped into one of the ancient temples. **_

_**The world outside had once been great, flowing with life. Now, there seemed to be nothing left of it- no living creatures lived here anymore, leaving it a barren wasteland. But, as he stepped inside the temple, something caught his eye. **_

_**At the base of a great stone tablet, was a small flower. It was a single white lily- its leaves rustling slightly in the breeze that blew through the hole in the ceiling. On the tablet was the Prophecy-the ancient letters etched into the stone. Taking this as a sign, he found a nearby chair and laid down in it, falling asleep almost instantly. As he fell into a coma-like state, his damaged heart left his body in search of a new host. It found a small boy- so much like him they could have been brothers- and the boy quickly agreed to become his host, at least until his heart was recovered enough to return to his own body.'**_

I shifted my weight onto my other leg and crossed my arms. '_I still don't get how this is connected to me though.'_

The voice remained silent for a moment, then:

'_**The boy carried his heart for almost ten years. Overtime, he had forgotten about it. Then, he took his own life to release the heart of the one he loves, in the process releasing not only the heart of the princess, but his own heart and that of the warrior too- which resulted in your birth.' **_

'_**And now,'**_ the voice spoke louder than before. _**'His heart has yet another host- one that can hide it extremely well.'**_

I gasped again. '_What... you don't mean ME do you? Are you trying to tell me that the heartbeat I feel is...__**'His'**__?' _

'_**Yes, chosen one. You were the one chosen by the gods to fulfill this prophecy and revive our clan!'**_

And of course, I chose that instant to have a blonde moment.

'_And... How exactly am I going to do that? I'm dead remember?'_

'_**The heart you have been given has gifted you with a second chance at life, and will remain with you and act as your guide until you fulfil the prophecy or die trying.'**_

As if in response, my new heartbeat started pounding in my chest.

'_So in other words, not only did I get a heart, but I'm going to come back from the dead too?'_

'_**Exactly.'**_

'_Okay then, cool. But, before you send me back is there anything else I should know?'_

The voice seemed to hesitate. I got the feeling that it was hiding something from me.

'_**Listen well. One other member of our species has survived and also does not know who he is. At one point he will attack you, and when he does, let him. He will give you both a blessing and a curse, but it is necessary.'**_

'_That's a little vague- can I have more of a hint?'_ I thought, tapping my foot.

The voice remained silent this time, and I wondered what happened.

Suddenly, the platform brightened and I looked down. The X shaped mark below was now shining with a blinding white light, as was everything else. I started to lose consciousness again, but before I did, I heard the mysterious voice say one final line:

'_**Beware the one with the mark of kye!'**_

Then everything faded into light.

**(1)This is one of those containers that you put Petri dishes into to grow bacteria- don't ask me why Vexen has one XD.**

**WOW, that was a long chappie! (And a confusing one at that, but hopefully you understood SOME of it)**

**On top of that, it was INFURIATING to write! I kept changing my mind about the whole "dream" part, and I finally decided on this. I still hate it though- I may re-write this in the future, and if any of you have a better idea send me a message! Feedback from you will help make this story better!**

**Speaking of you guys, I have to thank "squee", and xXxAnimeBellxXx for reviewing! Oh, and before I go, I want at least 3 reviews for this okay? Plz and thank u.**

**And one more thing. I think before I go any further that I have to mention that this story WILL have some B.B.S spoilers, so sorry about that. (I meant to say that before, but I forgot! DONT KILL MEH- *SHOT*)**

**Roxas: "so, (insert authors name here) who is going to say the disclaimer this week?"**

**Xion: "yeah, I'd like to know too!"**

**Author: "umm..."**

**Zexion: *walks in* "I think I deserve to say the 'disclaimer' at least once in this story."**

**Author: "but, I haven't even determined whether you will be in this story or not!"**

**Zexion: *glares at author* "of course I will be in this story! You just haven't found an awesome enough role for me yet."**

**Author: *shivers* "yeah, something like that. Alright then zex, have at im!"**

**Zexion: "the author does not own kingdom hearts, only the made-up world 'sanctuary', the dark angels, and the 'ancients'."**

"**And REVIEW!"  
**


	6. back from the dead

Xion was on her knees crying in front of the bed where Roxas lay, looking at his cold, lifeless body. It had been several minutes since he had stopped breathing, and his body still showed no signs of fading. His wounds were still there, but blood no longer poured from the angry cuts. She had already changed into a fresh organization coat, and threw the blood-soaked one on top of Roxas' torn one. Shaking slightly, she stood up and took a step towards the bed.

'_Maybe...maybe there is hope...'_she thought, wiping a tear from her face. _'Somehow I get the feeling he's still in there somewhere, fighting...'_

Moving towards him, she placed a hand on his face, ignoring the icy coldness of his skin. "c'mon, Roxas," she said quietly while stroking his cheek, "if you are in there, give me a sign!"

Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw his eyebrows twitch a little. Curious, she placed a hand on his forehead and jumped back in surprise when the place right where her fingers had been started to glow.

"What the hell...?" she breathed while taking a closer look at his face. In the middle of his forehead was an X shaped mark about the size of a golf ball** (1)**, and was glowing with a brilliant white light. As she watched, the glow spread to envelop his entire body, coating him in what could be described as "a thin layer of light."

'_Are you in there Roxas?'_

Xion then heard a sucking noise and looked back to his chest. To her surprise, the blood from the mattress below was flowing up along his torso and back into the wounds. Soon, the mattress was almost as white as it was before, with only a few drops of blood still there. Colour was starting to return to his face now, and she wondered how this was even possible.

And as if it couldn't get any more mysterious, the wounds started to heal themselves, the skin stretching and melding until all she could see was faint scars that were almost invisible against his pale skin. Still standing there in awe, she watched as he started breathing again, his chest rising and falling slowly at first, but faster and faster until he was breathing at a normal pace again.

His eyes still closed, Xion watched as the mark on Roxas' forehead disappeared, only to re-appear just below his collar bones. The light slowly faded from the mark and when it was gone completely, there was a tiny X engraved in his skin.

Xion was so caught up in watching him breathe that she almost missed the fact that he had opened his eyes. She gasped silently when he started to sit up.

"Roxas...?" she whispered, not believing what she was seeing.

He had come back from the dead.

Roxas looked up, happiness filling his eyes when he caught sight of her.

"Xion!" he cried, with as much joy in his voice as in his deep blue eyes.

**-Till November-**

Alive.

I wasn't even conscious yet- all I cared about was that I was alive and I would get to see Xion again.

'_Xion...'_ I thought, the image of her beautiful blue eyes running through my head. _'I hope she's okay...'_

Suddenly, I felt something warm touch my head and I mentally cringed. It set my senses on fire and I could feel everything, hear everything, and even _smell_ everything.

Including the pain of my injuries.

I could feel my skin start to stretch, overlap, and start to heal. This unfortunately, was an extremely painful process; and not to mention slow.

Usually when people are in a lot of pain or agony, they want nothing more than the sweet embrace of unconsciousness. Right now, I wanted anything but. My senses were being overloaded and all I wanted to get out of this hell-hole and back to me, to _Xion_.

'_**Are you in there Roxas?'**_he heard a familiar voice in his head.

'_Yeah, I'm here...'_ I thought when the pain started to fade.

And just like that it was over.

The pain had gone away in a flash, and the barrier that had kept me from regaining consciousness was lifted.

I opened my eyes.

The first thing that I saw was a tiled ceiling with small cracks in it. There was pale moonlight shining on them from the window to my left, illuminating every imperfection on the surface.

'_Where am I?'_ I thought, sitting up slowly. _'This isn't my room...'_

"Roxas...?" came a soft whisper to my right.

Spinning around I saw her, standing there watching me with an expression on her face that seemed to be a cross between hopeful, and an 'I just saw a ghost' look.

"Xion!" I cried, a wicked smile crossing my lips. Without warning, I leapt off the bed and threw myself toward her, pulling her into a tight hug. Xion wasn't expecting this however, and she fell to the floor; with me on top.

"Roxas? W-what are you...?" she stuttered, surprised.

"Holy crap I'm glad you're okay! I thought you might have been hurt or something..." I said, the words tumbling out of my mouth.

"Roxas!" Xion said a little louder.

"You're not hurt are you? How did you manage to defeat that darkside? That thing was pretty tough and..."

"ROXAS!"

"What?"

"D' you mind getting off me?"

I blushed. I was on top of Xion, with my head buried in her shoulder. Her hair was draped across my face, and it smelled like strawberries. I'd also just now realized that I was in nothing but a pair of shorts. In front of a _girl_.

"s-sorry Xion!" I stuttered, letting go of her and leaping back on the bed.

The door suddenly burst open and in walked Vexen.

"WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?" he shouted, clearly pissed about something.

"R-Roxas just c-came back t-to l- Vexen held up a hand to cut her off.

"I can see that." He said, actually sounding genuinely surprised. Vexen walked over to me and examined the small X below my collar bones. _'That wasn't there before... I thought all of my wounds were healed!'_ I thought, a little freaked out by the fact that Vexen was still looking at my strange new mark.

"Hmmm..." he mumbled, deep in thought. I thought I had heard him say something along the lines of: 'impossible! I thought they were all wiped out!', but I couldn't be sure.

Apparently he was done now, because he then walked over to a small closet on the other side of the room, and pulled out a fresh organization coat. Walking back over, he tossed the coat to me. I put it on quickly, not wanting to be half naked in front of Xion any longer than I had to.

"You may go now." Vexen addressed me bluntly, a small frown planting itself on his face.

"But what about Xi-"I started to say, but he cut me off. I guess Vexen was in a "cutting people off" mood today.

"XIV will follow shortly. Why don't you check in with VII with your long overdue mission report in the meantime?"

'_Shit.'_"Oh. Okay then." I mumbled in defeat. Knowing saix, he would be in a crappy-ass mood. And I REALLY didn't want to piss him off any more, though I guess I didn't really have much of a choice. "See you later Xion." I said, getting up and walking towards the door.

"right." I heard her say before I left. I took one last glance at her confused expression before walking out the door to face "the enemy".

'_Let's get this over with...'_

**-Till November-**

Xion watched Roxas leave the room, still in a state of shock. He had come back to life! People didn't just die and then come back ten minutes later! This was not normal!

Not that there was too much of a problem with this though- she was glad Roxas was 'alive and kicking', but this worried her. And what was that mark that appeared on his forehead, and then his chest? Maybe when he was unconscious he saw or heard something. She would have to ask him later.

Once Roxas left, Vexen closed the door in the room, and walked back over to Xion with a serious expression.

"Come with me Xion, we need to talk." He said her name, surprising her. The only people in the organization that called her that were Roxas, axel, and even demyx sometimes. None of the other members had ever called her by anything but her number, including Vexen.

He led her back into the lab, and grabbing a spare stool from one corner of the room, set it down on front of his desk.

"sit." He said sitting down behind the desk and hanging the dirty lab coat up on the wall behind him.

Xion sat on the small stool obediently and looked at Vexen, who was sifting through his desk for something. Pulling out a small pencil and paper, he set the paper on the desk and twirled the pencil in his hand.

"Now Xion," he said, gently putting the pencil down on the paper and looking into her scared and confused eyes. "Why don't you tell me what happened here?"

**(1)I haven't come up with a concrete design for this yet, but until I do, just imagine the shurikan\ninja star thing he wears in k.h2. Lol.**

**OMG IM SORRY THIS IS SO LATE.I had tests to study for and whatnot, so I had NO TIME AT ALL to work on this.**

**So anyway, I'd like to thank:**

**..xx (thank you for mentioning me in your story AND for the two reviews!), and crazychick6692. Thank you for the reviews!**

**Roxas: "hey people I'm back! I guess that means I get to say the disclaimer for the first time in AGES!"**

**Author: "go for it rox!"**

**Roxas: "the author doesn't own kingdom hearts, just the made-up stuff mentioned last chapter!"**

"**AND REVIEW!"**


	7. explinations

"**Welcome to chapter seven!"(Finally!)**

**Roxas: *walks in* "what are you doing up so early?"**

**Author: "what do you mean 'what are you doing up so early'? I'm working on the next chapter!"**

**Roxas: "I see. Well I can't sleep, so can I watch a movie in here or something? My TV isn't working."**

**Author: "sure, why not?" *turns on TV* "just be quiet, I don't want to attract unwanted attention."**

**Roxas: "will do." *put's Transformers on***

**Author: *facepalms* "Transformers? Really? Well, I guess while he is watching that, you can read the new chapter. Enjoy!"**

**Roxas: *from the kitchen* "hey, (insert authors name here) where's the damn popcorn!"**

**Author: "I thought I told you to BE QUIET!"**

Xion sat across from Vexen on the other side of his desk, dimly wondering whether or not she should tell him about Roxas' whole 'coming back to life' thing. Maybe it wasn't something everyone should know about, like if she told someone what happened, Roxas would die instantly and he would _stay_ dead this time. Xion shivered at the thought- seeing Roxas dead in front of her once was enough. She didn't need to go through that again. But then again maybe this was all just a bad dream, and she would wake up in her bed tomorrow morning, and none of this would have happened.

'_Well,'_ she thought, '_if this IS some sort of freakish dream, I guess it is okay to tell Vexen. I don't think I would be able to lie to him anyway; those eyes stare into your SOUL.' _She chuckled quietly at that.

"What's so funny?" Vexen said, frowning.

"N-nothing Vexen. I just had a funny thought that's all." She said nervously.

He sighed. "There is nothing funny about this Xion. People don't just come back to life- that's impossible." Vexen picked up the pencil and started twirling it in his hand again. "Before I left, I saw the wounds he had, and from what I have heard from you so far, he died from it. I believe you on this. Nothing, not even Nobodies would be able to survive after losing that much blood." Vexen stared at the pencil, still twirling it in his hand. "And when I came back, he was conscious, sitting up, and his wounds were healed." He paused. "All except for one."

Xion looked confused. "Do you mean the X shaped scar? That wasn't there before- it appeared when he was... coming back." She said the last part quietly.

"I see." Vexen said, leaning back in his chair. He was silent for a moment, then his face gained a serious expression. "Do you know what it means?"

"No," Xion said. "I've never seen anything like it."

Vexen looked relived. "interesting." He spun around in his chair to look at the opposite wall.

After a few minutes in deep thought, he turned to face Xion again. "You're sure you haven't seen it before?"

"Positive."

He sighed again. "Alright. But that still doesn't answer my question though. I need to know what happened- **all** of it. Start from when he was injured and then go from there."

She hesitated for a moment, wondering if this was still just a dream. _'I guess it's too late to back out now anyway...'_

Launching into her story, she told him how Roxas was slammed against the station tower and knocked out. She told him about how she had to defeat the darkside (she left out the part about the barrier and the strange magic attack she used) and drag his body back to the castle. She told him about how Roxas literally bled to death in front of her, and how the light enveloped his body before his wounds healed themselves. Vexen sat quietly through the entire thing, listening carefully and taking notes every so often.

When she was finished she fell silent, not really knowing what else to say. Retelling the whole ordeal was hard for her, but afterwards she felt better. Telling someone else about it (even if it was Vexen) turned out to be a good idea after all.

Vexen remained silent, looking down at his pencil. Nobodies may not have emotions, but Xion was almost positive she could see hints of both fear and curiosity in his eyes. The curiosity she could understand, but fear? What was there to be afraid of?

He leaned forward in his chair, putting the pencil down and looking Xion in the eyes.

"Now I want you to listen to me Xion, and listen well." Vexen said, the serious expression on his face making a comeback. "No one else must know of this. This is between you, me, and Roxas."

Xion was surprised once again- hardly anyone spoke Roxas' name either.

"Does this mean that I can tell him what happened?"

Vexen nodded. "Yes, just as long as he swears not to tell anyone else as well." He paused to write something else down on the sheet. "This includes the superior."

'_The superior too? Jeez this MUST be serious!'_ "Alright then, I will tell him." She said, getting up and walking towards the door.

"Oh, and Xion?" Vexen called back to her.

"Yes?"

"I want you to keep an eye on him. Tell me if anything suspicious happens over the next few days."

Xion frowned. _'He wants me to watch him so he doesn't get hurt again.'_

"Okay Vexen, I will." She said and walked out the door of the lab to go find Roxas.

**-Till November-**

I walked through the halls of the castle, not bothering to create a portal for myself. I needed time to calm down and think some things over before facing 'twinkle fangs'** (1)**.

I slowed to a halt before gently leaning against the wall, and looking out at the heart-shaped moon beyond the glass. It was floating there, looking innocent as always.

Running a hand through my blonde hair, I sighed. Had any of this really happened? It was all like some sort of bizarre dream, only this one seemed to last forever. I vaguely wondered whether a hard blow to the head would be enough to jolt me out of it. I dismissed the thought; if I was awake I didn't want a huge bump on my head tomorrow morning.

I crossed my arms. The fact that I had apparently come back to life still hadn't sunk in yet. On top of that, I had also gained a heart. Thinking back, one of the things the 'voice' had said made me wonder. It had mentioned that the heart now had a vessel that would 'hide it well'. What did it mean by that? My body wouldn't be a very good hiding place- sooner or later the other nobodies would either notice my new emotions or hear it beating in my chest.

I wondered if that happened either- the whole 'getting a heart and listening to a long winded legend thing.' I guess there was only one way to find out.

Closing my eyes, I put a hand to my chest and listened. Sure enough, I heard a faint _thump-thump_ coming from inside me. The rhythmic thuds were soothing, and I started to feel sleepy just listening to it. Opening my eyes, I patted my face a few times to shake it off. This was no time for sleeping- as much as I didn't want to I had to go check in with saix for the mission report. There would be plenty of time for sleeping and listening to my new heartbeat later.

Pushing myself off from the wall, I continued walking.

The rest of the trip up to saix' quarters were mostly uneventful, although I did find it interesting when my new heart beat faster when I was going up the stairs. Weather this was because of the exercise or adrenaline however, I didn't know. I had more than one chance to experience this too- with his quarters being _five_ floors up and all.

Turning one last corner, saix' room came into sight. Sighing again, I slowly walked over to it. His quarters, along with most of the other member's rooms, were basically in the middle of nowhere. The castle was so large that most of the members had entire floors to themselves; the exception to that being my own floor. I had to share it with Xion, but I didn't mind and she didn't seem to either.

Now standing in front of the door, I knocked on it and hoped for the best.

The door opened almost immediately, revealing a tired looking saix. He looked even more ill then he did this morning; he was pale, his yellow eyes were glowing with fever, and sweat was pouring off of him. I also noticed that his hair had grown slightly longer, so that it was down to his stomach. He was still wearing his organization coat, but he had taken his boots off.

"What do you want?" he asked in an irritated voice.

Quickly taking out the mission folder I handed it to him.

"Sorry it's late..." I muttered, now feeling a bit of fear for the first time.

Saix eyed the folder for a minute, and then took it. He looked it over slowly, my heart beating faster in the meantime.

"And why XIII, is it late?"

I froze. I hadn't thought of that.

What should I tell him? If I told him I came back to life he wouldn't believe me, so I came up with the next best thing.

"The mission ran a little late, and I was injured. Xion and I went to Vexen afterwards to get treated." I said, hoping that saix would buy into my 'half lie.'

His eyes narrowed. I could tell that he was trying to decide whether it was a lie or not.

After a several minute stare down, saix let it go.

"fine." He said, tossing the mission folder onto his desk inside the room. "But remember that just because you were 'injured' doesn't mean that you will get off of missions. Be at the grey area tomorrow morning on time."

"Yes saix." I said, and he closed the door.

Standing there for a moment, I listened to my heart beat slow down again. _'Why didn't saix hear it?' _I thought. My heart beat was so loud; I thought the whole castle would be able to hear it! My encounter with saix changed that theory. Maybe what the voice meant was that other nobodies would not be able to hear it. This would certainly come as an advantage, but there was still one flaw; my emotions.

I started walking again. I needed to find Xion and hear the other side of the story from her. She knew what I didn't, and with that information I might be able to piece together what exactly happened to me.

**A nickname for saix (which I did not come up with!)**

**Wow, I was lazy this week. I would've gotten this out sooner but I had things to do *coughcristmaspresentscough*.**

**Anyway, once again I'd like to thank those of you that reviewed~**

**..xx and NexarkXIII. **

**Thank you so much for the reviews!**

**Roxas: *now watching the lord of the rings***

**Author: "hey Roxas, the chapter is over."**

**Roxas: *pauses the movie*"really? Then I guess its disclaimer time!"**

**Xion: *bursts in* "I WANT TO SAY THE DISCLAIMER TOO."**

**Author: "why don't you both say it?"**

**Roxas: "sure."**

**Xion: "why not?"**

**Roxas and Xion: (in unison) "the author of this story does not own kingdom hearts."**

**Author: "thanks guys!"**

"**REVIEW, AND HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS."**


	8. replaced

"**Chapter eight already? Wow."**

**Roxas: "so how was Christmas?"**

**Author: "good, good, although, there was one thing missing."**

**Roxas: "and what was that?"**

**Author: "A NEW CHAPTER!"**

**Roxas: *sweat drops* "he he, enjoy..."**

-Roxas-

If there's one thing about Xion that I don't get, it's the fact that when I need her she's impossible to find! You'd think that I'd be able to find her easily because I left Vexen's lab before her, but _no_. I looked all over the flippin' castle but I _still_ haven't found a single hair of her.

I'm putting in a complaint to the superior later- we need cell phones.

So now, instead of wasting my energy, I'm sitting on our floor's balcony. Waiting for Xion.

I figured she was bound to come my way eventually- I'd told her this morning that she should meet me here after the mission for some 'icing on the cake.' Of course, we weren't going to have it now since I was too busy _dying_ at the time to go get ice cream. Looking up from my hands that were in my lap, I saw the large heart shaped moon in the sky.

"Kingdom hearts..." I mumbled, my eyes narrowing. 'We're supposed to gather hearts to complete you, but now that I have one, what is my purpose **(1)**?" I looked down and put my hand on my chest. The steady beating of my heart continued and I sighed. The only reason I was in the organization was because of the fact that I could wield the keyblade. Sudden panic welled up inside me. Would it even come to me now?

Raising a hand up in front of my face and closing my eyes, I attempted to summon my weapon again. After a few seconds a brilliant light flashed and I felt a familiar weight in my hand, although the handle felt a little different this time for some reason. Opening me eyes again, I saw that my keyblade had completely changed shape from the original kingdom key; the blade was now serrated and silver. At the end of the blade were several sharp black and silver spikes. The hilt also had spikes on each side, with the silver nobody symbol in the middle. The handle was chequered black and white like my wristbands, and the keychain had the strange but now familiar X shaped symbol on the end. **(2)**

'_What... what is this?'_ I thought, surprised and suddenly afraid.

_What happened to my keyblade?_

"Roxas?" I heard Xion call from behind me.

'_Shit, of ALL times'_ I thought, dismissing my morphed keyblade and trying to make my expression look normal.

"I'm over here Xi." I called, looking back up at kingdom hearts with a neutral look on my face.

"Oh, there you are!" Xion said, walking over to where I was sitting. "I looked all over for you."

"You did, did you?" I said, turning to face her. "So did I. Where were you anyway?"

"I was getting something to eat; I figured you would be hungry." Xion sat down on the bench beside me and handed me an apple, then took a bite out of the one she grabbed for herself.

We ate in silence. Xion stared up at the stars the entire time while I looked blankly foreword. Should I ask her about what happened? Glancing over to her I saw a nervous, almost fearful look on her face. Her beautiful blue eyes held sadness in them, and I wanted to make all that sadness go away.

I closed my own eyes and looked down. No, I wouldn't ask her about that tonight. She needed time to think about what happened, and I did as well. But, there _was_ something else I could ask her.

Gathering up my courage, I looked up at her again.

"Hey Xion?" I said quietly.

"Hmm?" she mumbled, swallowing a mouthful of apple and turning towards me. "Yes Roxas?"

"Umm, I was just wondering..."I nervously scratched the back of my head.

"Yes, what is it?" she said, a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Would you like to watch the stars with me tomorrow night?" I spoke slowly and carefully, making sure I didn't stutter my words.

Xion sat there with a blank stare for a moment before a huge grin spread across her lips. "Of course I will! But where are we going to meet?" her voice was like music to my ears.

I silently heaved a sigh of relief. That was much easier than I thought it would be.

"Why don't we meet right here? This seems like a nice spot."

"Sounds good to me!" Xion got up and stretched. "Well, I don't know about you but I want to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow. Good night Roxas." She said, turning to leave.

"Good night Xion." I called back to her then faced the stars again, only this time I also had a smile on my face.

**-Till November-**

I woke up early the next morning in a good mood despite all that had happened. I got up, took a shower, and then put on my organization coat as usual. I paused to look at the strange mark on my chest; it was exactly the same way it was yesterday, the skin around it slightly red. Once again I hadn't bothered to clean up my room; there wasn't much point if all I came back here for is to sleep every night. Grabbing a spare potion off of my desk and throwing it in my pocket, I quickly closed the door and headed for the mess hall.

The room was eerily quiet when I walked in, the place being empty with the exception of Lexaeus, who was sitting at his seat reading a book. He said nothing when I came in so I didn't either. Come to think of it, he doesn't say much of anything anyway.

I walked over to the table with the food on the other side of the room, and saw that there were pancakes there today. _'Finally...'_ I thought, grabbing a couple and putting them onto my plate. I ate fast, and then headed to the grey area to get my mission for the day.

When I entered the spacious room, I was surprised to see that saix of all people was absent. In his place stood Zexion, looking glum like always.

"Hey Roxas, what's up?" a familiar voice practically shouted from behind me.

'_He always has the worst timing...'_ I thought, turning to face the red-head.

"And good morning to you too." I said, waving him off with a glum look on my face while I walked towards the moogle on the right side of the room.

"Aww, c'mon Roxas! Lighten up!" Axel followed me toward the moogle.

I momentarily ignored him as I went to stock up on supplies- one potion wasn't going to be enough to get me through a mission.

"Well according to the superior, my element is light so technically I'm already 'lit up'."

He chuckled quietly. "Ha-ha, very funny. You know your jokes aren't all that good." Axel said with a small frown.

"Yeah well, some of them aren't meant to be funny. Jokes are really more in your department if you know what I mean."

"definitely." He said, sitting down on one of the couches. "So, I heard that you and Xion had a hard time on your mission yesterday... care to explain what happened?"

I stiffened. How did he find out? Then again, we ARE talking about axel here.

"Okay first of all, how did you know we had a hard time, and second..." I paused. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"Why not?" he said, ignoring my first question.

I just shook my head and glanced over to the teal- haired teen standing by the window. "I think the better question right now is this: what happened to saix? He's always here on time, and judging by the fact that Zexion is now standing in his spot, something must have happened to him."

Axel sighed. "I don't know what happened to saix either, but maybe if you go talk to emo-boy there you can get some answers if you're that curious." He said quietly, nodding towards Zexion.

"Will do." I walked over to said person and he handed me my folder.

"You will report alone to agrahba for your mission; I suggest taking some water." He said in a monotone voice.

I nodded. "Yes. But before I go, can you tell me what happened to saix?"

Zexion crossed his arms. "I don't know much more than the rest of us do, other than the fact that he is 'sick' according to the superior.' He looked down, his teal bangs now covering most of his face. 'He came to me this morning and told me to take over for saix as second in command until further notice."

My eyes widened in surprise. Saix had been the second in command since before I got here, and nothing like this had ever happened before. _'He must have been even more ill then I thought- I don't think the superior would have appointed Zexion in saix' place unless it was extremely important, even if it is temporary.' _I thought in shock.

"Something wrong XIII?"

I looked up and shook my head. "It's nothing."

"Then you should get going."

"right." I said, and walked back to axel, who was waiting patiently on the couch.

"So what's the verdict?"

"Zexion said that he is 'sick', and that he is now second in command until saix gets better. Unfortunately that's all I got out of him."

"I see." He said, getting up. "I guess I will just have to go and do some recon on my own then. Here." Axel opened a portal and I walked towards it.

"And speaking of which," he mumbled and stopped me.

"What is it now?" I growled, annoyed. I wanted to get this mission over and done with as soon as possible.

Axel grinned. "Good luck tonight, and remember to wear a raincoat!" he said with a wink.

A look of absolute horror crossed my face. "I'm not going that far!" I shouted in embarrassment, my face turning red.

"Sure you're not. But hey, it never hurts to have one just in case."

"You sir, have a dirty mind."

"I prefer to call it a 'colourful imagination'."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." I grumbled and walked into the portal and off to my mission.

**(1)I just realized that was SO a mewtwo quote. XD**

**(2)this is the 'two become one' keyblade- if you don't know what I am talking about you should look it up. P.S: I think I am going to stick with that shurikan- thing for the 'X shape's design.' I might modify it slightly for the story and if I do, I'll draw it and post it on deviant art.**

**So anyway, thanks again for reading, and I'd like to thank dark demonic angel, and the anonymous reader for reviewing.**

**Author: "well, Roxas and Xion both are busy this week so I will say the disclaimer for once:"**

"**I don't own kingdom hearts. Period."**

"**REVIEW AND HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR."**


	9. unleashed

**Author: "hey Roxas...ROXAS!"**

**Roxas: *runs in* "what?"**

**Author: "go get the movie while they read the chapter."**

**Roxas: "what movie?"**

**Author: *glares* "THAT movie."**

**Roxas: "oh, THAT one." *runs to get movie***

**Author: "enjoy the chapter while we watch the movie!" *does crappy evil laugh***

The first thing that I noticed when I stepped out of the portal in agrahba was the _heat_. The kind of stifling, sweltering, boiling heat that felt like it was sucking the life out of you.

And I had to go through it in a _black coat_ of all things.

Cursing quietly to myself, I went to go find some shade and look at the mission folder.

'_Recon huh,'_ I thought with a smile. _'This will be easy; I can finish this fast and get back early to prepare for tonight.' _putting the mission folder away, I got out one of the water bottles I brought with me and took a sip. Agrahba was a fairly new world, at least to the organization, and it needed to be explored to find out what was here. Recon was one of the easier kinds of missions, and luckily for me, they mostly used newer members for these. It could be done quickly with time to spare, and today, time was of the essence.

Putting my water bottle away, I started to examine my surroundings. There were shops lined up against the brick walls of the city, selling everything from plates and cutlery to clothing. All of these shops were abandoned, and some of them were even falling apart. There were also boarded-up doorways that looked like they hadn't been used in centuries. Along one side of the wall was a huge, beautifully decorated door that, compared to me, looked hundreds of feet high. Everything in the area was covered with sand, and large piles of it were sitting in the corners in and around the shops.

"This place is covered with sand!" I shouted, stating the obvious while dusting off some that had managed to get on my coat. "What the heck happened here?"

I guess there was only one way to find out. Using my keyblade to flip the wooden switch that opened the gate, I moved to the next area, searching for answers.

**-Till November-**

An hour later, I was heading back to the portal. By looking at what I'd found, I was able to figure out that the city had recently suffered through a sandstorm; one that seemed to be ongoing. The other area's that I looked at were basically the same as the first; falling apart and covered in sand. The dunes were even worse near the city gate, probably because of how exposed it was. It looked like the people were trying to rebuild though- piles of lumber, rope, and other building supplies were everywhere. They had also built in some scaffolding, but by the looks of it hadn't gotten very far with that.

As I approached the large door that I assumed led to the palace, it suddenly felt like someone was watching me. Spinning around, I saw three dire plants behind me, all ready to attack. _'No heartless for the entire mission, and they choose to show up now?' _I thought in fury. These heartless were in my way, and things that were in my way didn't last long.

Summoning my 'morphed' keyblade, I started to hit those heartless with all I had. Somehow, I always managed to have trouble with dire plants- their seeds would hit and poison, to the point of me almost passing out from the pain. Most of the time I had to run from them, rest, heal my wounds, then come back for round two. This time however, there would be no need.

I destroyed all three of them in ten seconds flat.

And that wasn't the only thing that surprised me. During those ten seconds, I felt my new heart give a slight _tug_, and then it was like something was controlling me from the inside out. It was like I wasn't in control of my body, and I felt the strangest urge to fight with my keyblade in a back hand fighting style. Not really knowing what I was doing, I quickly flipped my keyblade around and let whatever this feeling was take over.

When the heartless were defeated, my keyblade disappeared like usual, and I stood there panting for a while, wondering what had just happened. It seems the new keyblade I got (for some reason the name 'two become one' popped into my head) was far more powerful than the original kingdom key. And what was that feeling that took over me just now? I'd never felt anything like it.

Shrugging it off, I created a portal for myself and walked towards it. I had a lot to think about, but now was not the time. I had a long night ahead of me, and plenty of time to think about things then.

**-Till November-**

I stepped out of the portal just outside of my room. With a sigh of relief at how cool it was, I opened the door to my large living space, and flipped on the light.

Even though my room was huge, it was still one of the smallest in the castle. The first thing that you notice when you walk in is a huge picture window that fills up most of the back wall. Right below that is of course my bed, which is almost never made up. On the right side of the room is a small TV that is up against the wall. In front of it was a simple wooden coffee table, and a large grey couch. On the left was my own bathroom that had a shower in it. Beside the bathroom was my closet, which had my extra organization coat, and some regular clothes. My room also had a wooden computer desk (with a desktop computer), and a bookshelf. The place was a mess- I never have time to clean up so things basically lie where they fell.

Closing the door, I quickly took of my coat and walked straight towards the bathroom-I needed a shower and all that sand that I collected needed to be washed off.

When I was done, I threw a towel around myself and went to my closet to find something to wear. I didn't have much to choose from, but eventually I made my decision and pulled out a white T shirt, a navy blue hoodie, baggy jeans, and a black wrist band.

'_God I hope she doesn't think I'm emo...'_ I thought nervously before putting them on. Getting up, I went back to the mirror in my bathroom and stared at my reflection. Personally, I thought I looked good, but I hoped Xion would think the same.

I absently started to rub the X shaped scar on my chest, the rough skin below my fingers feeling strange to the touch. I wondered what it was- the only scar I was left with when 'the voice' (as I call it) brought me back. My body was completely restored, every wound, every cut, every scar that I had ever gotten-gone.

Except for the X.

My hand fell to my side. Something that the voice had mentioned was bugging me. The last words it had said to me were: _'beware the one with the mark of kye.' _Was the mark of kye an X like the one I have on my chest? If it was, that didn't make sense. How was I supposed to be aware of myself? I was beginning to believe that the 'prophecy' was just some freaky dream.

I sighed while walking out of my bathroom. What a mess...

**-Till November-**

An hour later, I was heading out to meet Xion. I'd just come from the kitchen- I wanted to grab a bite to eat before going to the balcony. The mess hall was completely empty; the room was so quiet that you could probably have heard a pin drop. There wasn't much in the fridge so I ended up just making a simple sandwich. When I was finished eating I hurried to the balcony, running all the way (because I forgot to use a portal). I didn't want to keep Xion waiting- tonight was the night of the 'full moon' and I wanted to make it count. Turning another corner, I saw two large glass doors that lead out to the balcony.

Opening them slowly, I stepped out onto the large space. The balcony was simple, with only a few benches and a small table off to the side. Xion was sitting at one of the benches, and she turned around and stood up when I walked in.

"Hey, Roxas! Nice hoodie." She said with a warm smile. Xion was wearing blue skinny jeans and a simple black t-shirt with a small pink skull on the front. I also noticed that she was wearing a small amount of makeup.

"Thanks! And I think you look good too." I said, giving her an equally warm smile.

She blushed slightly. "Thank you."

We both stayed silent for a moment.

Xion laughed nervously. "You... wanna sit down?"

"Oh, right!" I sputtered and sat down on the bench beside her. Sitting down beside me, Xion decided to spark up a conversation.

"So how did your mission go? Mine was defeating a giant heartless in twilight town."

I looked back up to the stars. "Good I guess, if you can call sweating my but off in agrahba good."

"You got to go to agrahba? Lucky! I wanted to go there!" she whined, closing her eyes.

I chuckled. "Agrahba was a little too warm and sandy for my taste." Xion remained silent so I decided to ask a question of my own.

"Do you know why the entire castle seems to be deserted? I went down to the kitchen earlier and there was no one there."

She nodded. "Yeah, axel told me this morning that almost all of the members went on overnight missions- he mentioned something about a 'new threat'."

"I see." I muttered, and then looked over at her. "You said almost everyone- who else is here?"

"Well, the superior is always here- that's a given." Xion smiled, and then continued. "Zexion is now second in command so he is here as well, and saix is too."

'_Saix,'_ I thought. I wondered if Xion had any more information than I did. "Do you know about what happened to saix?"

She shook her head. "I only know what Zexion has been telling everyone- that he is sick."

I frowned slightly. "Okay. Sorry about that, I don't mean to pry but I'm a little curious as to what happened to him."

"Me too. Don't worry, if I find anything else out I'll tell you."

I nodded gratefully. "Thank you Xion, I appreciate it."

She blushed. "You're welcome."

**-Till November-**

The moon was bright. Too bright.

Sitting up in his bed beside his window, he wiped some of his platinum blue hair off of his drenched forehead. He had a splitting headache- it had been steadily getting worse for the last 48 hours. Now, it was so bad that he could barley stay conscious for more than twenty minutes at a time. He had also suffered from a fever that never seemed to go away, so his skin was slick with sweat all the time.

Suddenly the beast inside of him was active again, and in a heartbeat fighting for dominance in his mind.

Saix groaned and grabbed his head in pain as his eyes started to glow yellow once more.

'_No! I cannot let it take over!'_

He threw himself from the bed, landing heavily on the floor. His muscles started to spasm, and he thrashed around, fighting an invisible enemy. He could feel it now- the alien presence in his mind was powerful, and well on its way to taking over. He was losing this battle and the beast knew it.

He roared with rage as his body started to morph, growing in some places and shortening in others. He cried out in pain.

He had lost.

The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was a fur covered hand.

**-Till November-**

The rest of the date went well- Xion and I talked about random things, gazed at the stars and kingdom hearts, and basically just had a good time. She'd gone to bed about an hour ago, and now I was standing by myself on the balcony.

My stomach growled. For some reason I suddenly had a craving for sea-salt ice cream.

Making my way down into the kitchen, I grabbed an ice cream stick from the freezer and ate it quickly. When I was on my way back to my room however, I heard something that would haunt me for the rest of my life.

From somewhere in the castle, a blood curdling screech was heard, and it sounded close.

My eyes widened in fear and I spun around looking for the source of that noise. Whatever that was, it sounded inhuman.

I started running. I didn't know where I was going, but all I cared about was getting the hell away from here!

Suddenly my Mark started to _pulse_ in time with the beating of my heart. The feeling was strange, and it was almost as if it was some sort of tracking device. But what was it attracting?

I kept running, ignoring the uncomfortable sensation on my chest. That is, until I hit a dead end. _'Shit!'_ I thought, skidding to a halt when I heard an angry growl behind me. I turned around slowly.

A giant blue wolf was standing there, baring its dagger-like fangs at me and looking intent on murder.

'_Fucking hell...'_

**OKAY.**

**So... did the end of the chapter surprise you? Disappoint you? Enrage you? Leave your comment in a review!**

**Speaking of reviews, I only got one this week! (Thank you to NexarkXIII for the review) C'mon guys! I KNOW you can do better than that! Try to do better for next week okay?**

**Roxas: "hey, why did that guy look like axel?"**

**Author: "I'm sorry, that's classified info. *pauses* did you like the movie Roxas?"**

**Roxas: "not really, I wasn't even in it! That stupid spiky-haired blonde stole all the glory! I should have been in it and..." *rambles on***

***Phone rings from off stage***

**Author: *grabs cordless phone* "hello, who is it?"..." "Oh really."... "Why?"... "Alright then fine."**

**Roxas: "wait, who is that?"**

**Author: "none of your business." *puts phone up to the mic***

**Sora: *from the phone* "hey people, this is Sora here, and at my request I get to say the disclaimer this week!" **

"**Ahem. The author of this story does not own kingdom hearts, Roxas, Xion, Axel, or anyone else in the story. This includes me!"**

**Author: "thanks dude." *Hangs up***

**Roxas: "so who was that?"**

**Author: "it's still none of your business!"**

**(P.S: if you can guess what movie I was talking about above, I'll answer one question of yours about this story!)**

"**AND REVIEW."(please?) **


	10. infected

**I'm too tired to do an intro so let's just get on with it. ~**

The wolf was massive- it took up half the width of the hallway, and it was three times my height. It had long blue fur with stripes of darker blue fur on it, and its neck, chest, and belly were silvery white. The fur colour was oddly familiar... I swore I had seen it somewhere before but I couldn't remember where. Looking past its salivating jaws, I saw that its eyes were yellowish amber, and that they were glowing unnaturally. One other thing that surprised me though, was the X shaped mark on its forehead- the mark was inky black and small swirls of darkness were lifting off of it like fog.

With a jolt, I realized who it was.

'_SAIX?'_

His response to that was a roar, and he lunged for my throat.

I quickly ducked and rolled to the side while the massive wolf leaped overhead. He crashed into the wall behind me and slumped to the floor, momentarily stunned. I didn't waste time- I bolted down the hallway, hoping to get as far away from him as I could. I didn't know how saix had suddenly turned into a wolf, or how that was even possible, but I was NOT sticking around to find out! Running around a corner, I remembered something else that the voice had said to me: _**'Listen well. One other member of our species has survived and also does not know who he is. At one point he will attack you, and when he does, let him. He will give you both a blessing and a curse, but it is necessary.'**_

'_Screw the prophecy!'_ I mentally shouted, continuing to run for my life. _'I don't care if our 'species' dies out! It isn't worth getting killed over!' _

I suddenly heard growls behind me again, and I turned around mid-run to see a recovered angry wolf chasing after me. _'Well, fuck,'_ I thought frantically, turning around again. _'That was fast.'_

Saix continued to chase me through the halls, his hot breath on my neck sending shivers of fear down my spine. Never in my short life had I been so scared- and I mean that literally. When you don't have a heart to feel with, you don't feel fear. The whole 'emotion' thing was making this situation three times as bad, not to mention the fact that my heart was pounding in my chest.

He chased me around a corner and the stairwell came into view. _'Maybe I can lose him in there...'_ I thought and ran straight for it. Once it was in range, I grabbed the railing and using my momentum, I catapulted myself around the corner and onto the landing on the floor below. I landed well more or less, but I couldn't say the same for my pursuer. He skidded to a stop before leaping down the stairs after me. When he hit the landing his paws slipped slightly on the hard castle floor, but that didn't stop him at all. Needless to say, I kept running.

That is, until I chose the worst time to screw up ever.

With a yelp of surprise, I tripped over my baggy jeans and hit the ground hard. Groaning, I sat up and rubbed my now sore knee. "Ow" I muttered, and then I looked up in horror when I saw the wolf stalking towards me slowly. He had blood on his muzzle; it was dripping down his nose and onto his teeth, staining them red. _'It was probably from when he hit the wall earlier'_ I thought. I tried to get up and run, but my legs wouldn't support me and I fell back to the floor. _'Okay then, plan B...'_ I thought and backed up towards the wall, holding my hands out in front of me in a friendly gesture.

"N-nice saix wolf, p-please don't eat me." I stuttered in a last ditch effort to save myself. The wolf ignored me, coming ever closer.

Then without warning he lunged, and dug his fangs deep into my shoulder.

"AAAAAAUUUUUGGGGHHH!" I screamed in pain and agony. Those fangs were like daggers that pierced all the way through my skin to my bones, and I was sure I heard something snap from within me. Saix started violently shaking his head back and forth, and I let out another screech when the pain suddenly got worse. I'd gotten cuts and scrapes before, but nothing like this- the pain from my wounds spread like fire, until it engulfed my entire body. Ignoring it, I kicked out feebly to try and free myself from saix' jaws, but my blows had no effect at all. Blood was flying everywhere- on the walls, the floor, and all over me. _'My blood'_ I realized. This was not good- I'd only just recovered from a near death experience; I couldn't lose that much blood again so soon!

Suddenly I started to convulse, and my punches and kicks grew weaker. _'No,'_ I thought, beginning to lose consciousness from all the blood loss. _'I don't want to die here, not now!' _my heartbeat started to slow down as I watched my blood slowly drip to the floor.

_I can't hold on any longer..._

I went limp as my eyes began to close, the eyelids closing in almost slow-motion before engulfing me in darkness.

**-Till November-**

"_What in the world?"_

He was lying on his bedroom floor, panting with exhaustion. His coat was torn and there were pieces of it all around his room. He was covered with both sweat and blood; for some reason he could smell the crimson liquid and tell whose it was.

"Roxas." He mumbled, sitting up and leaning against his bed. "What have I done?"

Saix could remember every detail of what had just happened; every step he had taken, every breath that had torn itself from his mouth, every drop of blood that flew to the ground on the floor below- all from the back of his mind. The beast had forced him to watch everything, but be unable to act. He had been nothing but the passenger when his mind and body were taken over.

Something bothered him though. When he had first been taken over, the beast had simply left his room and started to wander around with no particular destination. But then, something had drawn the beast elsewhere. From the back of his mind he remembered feeling a sudden tugging sensation in his chest, which had drawn him to the young nobody and the beast had chased him until he stumbled and was unable to move. And then, when the boy had lost consciousness in his jaws, the beast had dropped him in a pool of his own blood and left. That didn't make sense-why did the beast not just kill him? What was the point of chasing after Roxas and injuring him if he was going to be left alive?

That topic brought up another question-What would happen to them now? Roxas, as far as he knew, was unconscious and two floors below him. What would he do when he woke up?

He decided quickly that this should be kept a secret. No one needed to know about his condition.

Although, there was still the matter of Roxas to attend to; he was a witness and if he babbled about what happened it would mean the end of both of them. Anything less than perfect was not accepted in the organization.

Fortunately he still had a pair of black shorts on underneath his organization outfit, and he took his coat off, throwing the torn clothes across the room.

He would have to keep an eye on him; for both their sakes this secret _must_ be kept.

**-Till November- **

My eyes opened slowly, taking in my surroundings. I was slumped against a wall and facing the other side of the hallway, where a large floor to ceiling window was.

Everything _hurt_.

I tried to sit up, my muscles groaning in protest- I laid back again when I started to feel light- headed. When I did, my left shoulder erupted in pain and I let out a soft gasp. The pain went all the way down my arm to my fingers. Confused, I pulled my hoodie down slightly to look at my shoulder, and my eyes widened in surprise when I found small bite marks dangerously close to my neck. They were dark brown in colour, and on closer inspection I saw that there was a small amount of brown _fur_ growing out of them. My eyes narrowed in confusion. _'What the hell?'_ I thought. Those hadn't been there before. This was wrong- fur, or even hair for that matter, didn't grow out of wounds. Cautiously, I lifted my hand to touch the marks. They felt as weird as they looked- the fur was soft and smooth, and for some reason I felt strangely reassured by it.

My head started pounding, and it was making the room spin. I closing my eyes, and wondered why I was in a random hallway instead of in my room like usual. Searching my mind for answers, I came up with nothing. I remembered my mission this morning, my evening with Xion, and going to get a snack afterwards. Everything else was blank. Empty, as if someone had plucked the memories strait from my brain. I frowned- that wasn't normal either.

My hand fell back to my side as a small bead of sweat ran down my forehead- I felt like I had a fever and my breath started coming in ragged gasps.

'_I have to get back to my room...'_ I thought and stood up, using the wall to support myself. Weakly I raised my right hand to summon a dark portal, and groaned in anger when it sputtered out of existence.

"What?" I mumbled. Raising my hand again I tried harder, focusing my energy to make a stronger portal. Black wisps of smoke rose from the floor, melding together until they formed another portal. I took several steps toward it, and within seconds it faded away, just like the first.

"Why me?" I spat, and headed towards the stairs. If portals didn't work, I was going to have to do this the hard way.

The trek up the stairs was torture, with my sore muscles, the headache and the fever all getting in the way. I had to stop several times just to catch my breath and wait for the beating of my heart to slow down so that I could continue. By the time I was finally in front of my room, my vision was starting to get blurry and I was extremely light headed.

Grabbing the door handle and opening it, I fumbled with the light switch to turn it on. Taking tired steps toward the large grey couch on the right side of the room I collapsed onto it, falling into a deep sleep almost immediately.

**So here I am with yet another chapter. And you know what?**

**I'm disappointed yet again by the small amount of reviews. **

**Like I said last week, I know you guys can do better than that. For next week, I want at least four reviews or not only am I not posting the next chapter, but I am going to stop writing for a while as well.**

**I hope to hear more from you people.**

**(Thank you to NexarkXIII, Xamem- The Heart of Oblivion, and settingsunrisingmoon for the reviews)**

**Review please.**


	11. a premonition of evil

**Roxas: *eating cake in the kitchen at 2 AM***

**Author: *walks in* "Roxas, WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING?"**

**Roxas: *slowly puts the cake down on the counter* "I'm eating. What does it look like?"**

**Author: *shakes her head* "well, whatever. Just hurry up- we're starting the chapter soon."**

**Roxas: *eyes widen in shock* "at 2 AM? THIS EARLY?"**

**Author: "yes this early. Now haul some ass!"*goes to the workstation***

**Roxas: *continues eating cake* "ha, she has no idea I'm eating her slice..."**

**Author: "NOW, ROXAS!"**

**Roxas: "coming!"**

Xion stepped through the dark portal and into the grey area, and smiled when she found that it was empty. She had just returned from her mission to agrabah; luckily for her she got to do recon, and in a nice cool cave. What wasn't fun though was the fact that the portal she had used to get to the world put her right in front of the palace doors; which just happened to be the furthest away from the cave you could get. On top of that, she had to trek all the way across the desert to get there in the beating sun AND a black coat.

Roxas was right- agrabah was far too hot and sandy for her taste either.

Closing the portal behind her, she walked towards the grey couch on the left side of the room and sat down, pulling out her water bottle.

Taking a sip, she sighed, lowering her head in thought. Roxas hadn't showed up to the clock tower today, and she was hoping to have ice cream with him. This was strange; Roxas went to the clock tower almost every day, and very rarely would he not show up. _'Now that I think about it, he wasn't here this morning either...'_ she thought, starting to worry. This wasn't like him; Roxas wasn't the kind of person to just disappear and not talk to anybody._ 'Maybe he's sick.'_ she ventured. It was possible that he could have picked something up last night while they were on the balcony- it was kind of cold out there.

Standing up, Xion decided to go check up on him. There wasn't any hurt in making sure he was okay, and besides; she wanted to visit him anyway.

Raising her hand, she summoned a dark portal and walked through it. When she came out on the other side, she was standing in front of Roxas' door. Everything was quiet- nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. _'Maybe I'm just being paranoid.'_ She thought. For some reason though, she couldn't shake the feeling that something bad had happened. She'd always had a kind of premonition for bad things. That was why the day that they had faced the darkside together, she took her hood down. If there was any chance of her being able to tell what was going to happen, it would have been easier for Roxas to believe her if she was showing her face. Ever since then, she felt like she had another one, another premonition, about something evil. This disturbed her greatly. Whenever she had had one, whatever it was that was supposed to happen happened within half a day.

This one however had lasted for 48 hours, and she still had it. This was definitely not a good sign.

Sighing, she shook her head. She probably WAS just being paranoid.

Going over to the door, she knocked on it several times to get his attention and waited a moment for him to respond. When he didn't, she knocked on the door again.

"Roxas? It's me Xion. Open up."

No response. Now she was worried.

"C'mon Roxas, answer me!"

Still nothing.

She frowned. "Okay then, I'm coming in!"

Xion turned the handle on the door and was surprised to find it unlocked. _'Strange...'_ she thought, and stepped inside.

His room was a mess- there were clothes piled everywhere and she gingerly took another step forward, avoiding a wrist band that looked suspiciously like the one he had worn the night before. She scanned the room for sighs of Roxas, and stifled a gasp when she saw a dark shape curled up on the couch.

"Roxas is that you?" she said quietly, making her way towards the couch. Looking over the right armrest, she saw that sure enough it was him, laying there unconscious. He was still in his clothes from last night, and some of the fabric on the left shoulder of his hoodie was ripped.

'_Why is he sleeping on the sofa?'_ she thought, nudging his arm gently. "Are you okay rox?"

He moaned, opening his eyes a sliver. "Xion... is that you?" he mumbled. His voice sounded hoarse.

"Yes, it's me. Are you sick? Do you want me to go get Vexen?"

He weakly shook his head. "No... All I need... is some sleep... and I'll be fine."

"Not on this couch you're not." She said, slowly helping him sit up. "You're going back to bed- whether you like it or not."

"I'm not... in much of a position... to argue." He said, putting his right arm over her shoulder. Xion helped him up off the couch, gently guiding him to his bed and laying him down.

"Water..." Roxas mumbled, looking up at Xion with eyes glowing with fever.

She nodded, and went into his bathroom to get it. _'At least it's clean in here...'_ she thought, pulling a glass out of the cabinet above the sink, and running it under the tap. When there was enough water in the glass, she turned the tap off and left the bathroom. She walked over to Roxas, handing him the glass. Downing the water quickly, he put the empty cup on his bedside table and laid back. She noticed that his face was flushed, and small beads of sweat were running down his forehead.

"You look kind of warm Roxas." She said, peeling of her right glove and placing the back of her hand on his cheek.

Xion recoiled, pulling her hand back. His face felt like it was on fire!

"You are not okay." She said slowly, reaching for his sweater.

"w-what are... you doing?" he rasped, giving her a confused look.

"You have a fever, and it's a bad one." She said, unzipping it. "We have to get it down, or you could get even worse."

"Oh, okay then." He said, shouldering out of his hoodie.

Taking it out from under him, she tossed onto the couch behind her. Roxas had been wearing a white button up T shirt underneath and now she could see that it was covered with sweat. _'Looks like I'm going to have to take that off too...' _Xion thought, blushing slightly. When she went to remove his shirt, Roxas didn't protest, and glancing back to his face she found that he was asleep.

'_Good,'_ she thought, taking his shirt and tossing it on top of the hoodie. _'The more he sleeps the sooner he'll get better.' _When she turned back towards him however, something caught her eye. Tiny, dark brown marks were sitting just above his left collar bone, and they were dangerously close to his neck.

Her eyes narrowed in confusion. _'Where did he get those?' _she thought, looking closer. The wounds were closed, healed over, and they looked like they were a week old, even though she knew that Roxas hadn't been injured that badly since the 'accident.' That wasn't the strangest thing though. The strangest thing was the fact that there was actual _fur_ growing out of the wounds.

"Why is...?" she trailed off. Xion had the sudden urge to touch the fur and make sure that it was real.

Reaching foreword, she gently brushed the marks and found that they were not only real, but the fur was very soft as well.

"These look like bite marks..." she mumbled. Had Roxas been bitten by some sort of animal? And if he had, is that where he got those marks and sickness from?

She closed her eyes. Why was it that Roxas was always the one that got hurt? Why couldn't he just stay safe for once? She worried about him when he came back to the castle with torn clothes, cuts, and bruises. She didn't want to lose him again.

Her eyes snapped open. His sweater was ripped.

'_No, that's impossible...'_ she thought, going back over to the couch. Picking up the hoodie again, she took a closer look at the shoulder.

There were large holes in the fabric that matched the marks on Roxas' shoulder, and she stuck her fingers through them, staring in wonder at how tears this big could account for such small marks.

'_This doesn't make sense.'_ She thought. _'Roxas was wearing this last night and the sweater wasn't ripped- that means that he had to have gotten those marks after I went to bed.'_

Xion sighed. There were still so many questions left unanswered, and she was determined to get to the bottom of this. Walking over to his computer desk, she pulled out the computer chair and wheeled it over to Roxas' bed.

Sitting down on the chair, she leaned back and closed her eyes. When Roxas woke up, he would have a lot of explaining to do.

**Author: "Roxas come here you have to see this!"**

**Roxas: *walks in* "what?"**

**Author: "this! *points to screen* Look how many we got!"**

**Roxas: "holy cow that's a lot!"**

**Author: "I know right? This is amazing! That the most we've gotten in one week!"**

**Roxas: "hey can I list them?"**

**Author: "go ahead rox!"**

**Roxas: "okay then. Thank you to:**

**SettingSunRisingMoon, Ennicx, NexarkXIII, and the anonymous reviewers: evilblueberries, storm damin, the existence of darkness, sky angle, damin.r, and lycan.b!"**

**Author: "thank you all for the reviews, and I hope you all continue to read!"**

**Roxas: "keep in mind though, that the next chapter might take a while, she has exams."**

**Author: "unfortunately."**

**Roxas: "heh, see you next time!"**

"**AND REVIEW! I'll give you a cookie."**


	12. a strange girl

I was dreaming.

In my dream I was standing in the middle of a stone court, staring up at a huge castle that looked strange, but at the same time beautiful; silver spikes, gears, and pillars stuck out at strange angles. To my left and right were residential areas- the homes were different shades of grey, red, orange and even purple, and it reminded me of a forest in autumn. Turning around I saw a massive stone wall that, judging by the way it curved, wrapped all the way around the city. There seemed to be plants growing out of the wall as well as everything else- the entire court around me was decorated with different coloured flowers and large green trees on the corners of the raised part of the area. Fountains also were everywhere, with water pouring out the sides of the walls, and large pillars of water could be seen in the distance. From where I stood, I could see that there were stone stairs leading under the wall to the other side. Everything in this dream seemed so real, so vivid; it was like nothing I had experienced before.

"Where am I?" I mumbled, looking up. The sun was sitting directly overhead, bathing everything in bright light. Suddenly I saw a flash of red out of the corner of my eye, and I spun around looking for the source.

Halfway across the court was a girl. Judging by her height, I would guess she was anywhere from twenty to twenty five, and she had to be six foot something. Her clothes consisted of ripped blue jeans, a green, red, and black striped long sleeve shirt, black fingerless gloves, and dark red running shoes. Looking up to her face, I saw dark green eyes that burned with loneliness. Her hair was blood red, and spiked so that when the sun hit it, it looked like it was on fire. On her chest was the same X shaped mark that I had, only it was slightly bigger.

I was at a loss for words. I knew I'd never seen her before, or this town for that matter, so there was no way we could have met.

So why the hell did she looks so familiar?

The mysterious girl started to walk towards me and I stood there, still staring into her eyes. There was something wild about her- something that didn't seem completely human, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

She came to a halt in front of me and knelt down to my eye level. She looked at me for a minute before asking: "do you know where you are?" her voice was just above a whisper yet I heard every word clearly.

"No... But it does seem familiar." I said my voice also a whisper. "It feels like I was here a long time ago, but forgot until now."

She nodded and stood up. "You used to live here once, but that was almost ten years ago now." She started walking towards the stone wall, and motioned for me to follow.

"So," I said, while keeping pace beside her. "Do you think you could tell me where we are? I'm kind of curious."

"Radiant garden." she said, leading us down the stone steps and into the well- lit tunnels below. "This is how it used to look ten years ago, before it was engulfed by darkness the first time."

I nodded. There was truth to her words- once In a while I would hear the other organization members mention a place called radiant garden, and that it had been taken over and destroyed by heartless.

By this time, we had gotten through the tunnels and emerged on the other side of the wall. In front of us was a wide stone path that had fountains lining either side, as well as one in the center of the path further ahead. In the distance I could see a large metal gate that seemed to be the only thing keeping the wide expanse of forest behind it back. **(1)**

The girl stopped abruptly, and turned to face me. "Do you know who I am?"

I stopped beside her and crossed my arms. "No, but like this city, you do seem familiar as well."

Her expression didn't change, but I couldn't mistake the small flicker of sadness in her green eyes. "I see." She said, turning away.

Without warning, the sky started to darken and I looked up to see dark storm clouds blotting out the sun; they seemed to be coming from the castle back inside the gate.

"What's happening?" I shouted, eyes widening in fear.

The mysterious girl grabbed my hand and pulled me so that I was staring straight into her eyes. "Listen to me!" she shouted over the wind that had picked up. "You have to meet me here after the next full moon, or the prophecy will never be fulfilled!"

_How the hell does she know about the prophecy?_

I nodded frantically, not wanting to find out what she would do to me if I said no.

"And remember," She shouted again, "you must not speak of this to anyone!"

I nodded again, but a question popped into my head and I wanted to ask her before I woke up.

"What's your name?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but a sudden powerful gust of wind ripped my hand out of hers and hurled me into the air. I screamed, and then everything went black.

**-Till November- **

With a stifled cry, I sat bolt upright in my bed.

I stared blankly foreword, panting for a minute. I could remember every moment of the dream in incredible detail- the strange girl's face was forever etched into my memory. "Meet me here after the next full moon, or the prophecy will never be fulfilled!" she had said. But why? Why was it so important that I had to meet this girl who I'd never met, at a place that I'd never been to before? And more importantly, who was she, and how did she know the prophecy?

I sighed. Why was I always the one that the bad things seemed to happen to?

'_I bet normal people don't have these kinds of problems.'_ I thought sourly, wiping sweat from my forehead. I needed a shower.

Looking to my right, I saw Xion sitting fast asleep in my computer chair- she had rolled it over to my bed and her head was resting on a pillow that she must have taken from my couch. She looked quite comfortable; it looked like she had been there all night.

I chuckled quietly. _'She must have taken care of me when I was out.'_

Being careful not to disturb her, I made my way off the bed and to the bathroom, closing the door behind me quietly. Peeling off my clothes, I got in the shower and sighed in relief when the hot water touched my skin- it soothed my muscles and made my sore shoulder feel better too. When I was finished, I got out and put my jeans back on- I was shirtless before so I must have somehow taken my hoodie and T-shirt off in the night- and then left the bathroom.

Xion was still in the position I left her in, and before I woke her up I wanted to at least have a shirt on. Walking over to my closet, I pulled out a fresh organization coat and put it on, being careful not to aggravate my new scars. I still didn't know where I'd gotten them from, and I doubted I ever would.

Speaking of scars, I wondered what the one on my chest looked like now. Glancing down, I saw that it still looked the same as it did before.

My eyed narrowed. That Mark had something to do with what was happening to me- there was no doubt about that. It kept appearing everywhere- the keychain on my new keyblade, my chest, and the strange girl's as well. Why would she have the same mark as me? And why did my keyblade suddenly change so drastically like that? There had to be a connection between them, and that mark was it; I was sure of it.

Sighing quietly, I walked over to Xion.

"Xion." I said quietly while gently nudging her shoulder. "Xion, wake up."

"Nnnnn..." she mumbled, and her eyes fluttered open. "Roxas... you're okay..." she yawned, then stretched.

"Yeah," I said, and sat down on my bed. "I guess whatever I had last night passed as quickly as it came."

"Are you sure about that? You looked pretty sick to me last night, and you slept through most of the day today already."

"Yeah, I'm sure." I said, and cracked my knuckles. "I feel fine, really."

"Oh really?"

"Yes really. I'm fine Xion."

She sighed in defeat. "Alright then, but I'm not letting you out of my sight today- I don't want you falling down a flight of stairs or something."

I crossed my arms. "I agree, but there's one problem; I don't think they will put us together on our mission today."

Her mouth curved upward into a smirk. "Yeah, that's the thing though- there _are_ no missions today. Zexion gave us our first vacation in weeks!"

My eyes widened in surprise. It was very rare that we ever got vacation days- Zexion must have been feeling generous.

"That's a first. Well, it looks like we have the day off- what do you want to do?"

_Grumble. ~_

Xion giggled. "I guess your stomach is answering for you, Roxas!"

I smiled. "I guess it is. Why don't we go down to the kitchen for some breakfast?"

She nodded. "Lead the way."

"Alright then." I said, and raised my hand to summon a dark portal.

Nothing happened.

"Not again!" I mumbled, clenching my other fist. This happened before too, and I thought that was just because I was on the verge of collapse. Apparently not.

"What's wrong Roxas?" Xion asked. When I turned to her, I saw that her face looked worried.

"I don't know..." I said between clenched teeth, still trying to summon a portal. "This happened earlier too, when I was trying to come back to my room."

"Are those the only times it's happened?" she mumbled, a flicker of fear in her eyes.

"So far. I thought it was because I was sick, but I guess not." I sighed, giving up on summoning a portal.

"That's not normal Roxas." She said, frowning. "After breakfast, I'm going to take you to Vexen."

"But Xion, I told you I'm fi- she put her finger on my lips, effectively shutting me up.

"No buts Mr!" Xion said sternly, opening a portal behind me. She started to drag me towards it. "Let's get some food in that stomach of yours first!"

"I guess there's no arguing with you, huh Xion?" I grumbled as we entered the portal.

"Nope!"

**(1)I modified this area slightly to fit the story- you will find out why later. :)**

**And yes, that girl is an OC. don't worry though, she's no average character either!**

**Roxas:*walks in to computer lab* "Mei... Mei? Where did you go?"**

**(The author's name is now Mei.)**

***silence***

**Roxas: *walks over to the computer* "there's a note here... if the subject fails to respond... well THAT can't be right!"**

***flips note over and reads***

"**I guess I get to say the disclaimer and the reviews this week guys, so here goes..."**

"**Thank you to: NexarkXIII, SettingSunRisingMoon, and the anonymous reviewers: james reson, lesanina raceg, storm damin, and Dari wish!"**

**...**

"**It looks like there is something else here..."**

'**P.S: a very big thank you to StarLion for reading my story!**

**And (to everyone else) if you like mine then you should go read his- I highly recommend it!'**

'**P.P.S: sorry this is late, but like I said, I had exams.'**

"**And apparently that's it, so I'll just finish off by saying that Mei doesn't own kingdom hearts or any of us- but you already knew that didn't you?"**

"**AND REVIEW!"**


	13. the infection setting in

I felt nauseous as Xion pulled me through the portal- the darkness was effecting me differently now and I didn't know why. When I was walking down the dark corridor, it felt like the darkness was swallowing me, grabbing hold of me, even though I wore my organization coat. The coats were supposed to protect us from the darkness, but now mine wasn't working. More than once I had to rely on Xion to get me through- my legs kept falling out from under me so she had to practically drag me along.

Once Xion and I were out, both of us collapsed on the floor down the hall from the mess hall, panting with exhaustion.

"Oh, you're OKAY... are you?" Xion spat angrily between breaths. "Okay my ass... Roxas! What the... hell ...was that?"

I sat up and leaned against the wall behind me, still panting. "Alright then... I give. I'm not... fine, and you can... take me to... Vexen... after breakfast."

"I'm not giving you a choice in this!" she shouted, slamming her fist down on the white castle floor. "You don't seem to understand Roxas! You were unconscious for more than twelve hours with a high fever last night! I waited and waited but you still didn't wake up, and I thought... I ... thought..."

Xion had started crying, violent sobs racking her body as streaks of clear liquid cascaded from her bright blue eyes.

I stared at her, my expression turning thoughtful. This was the first time I had seen Xion cry, and seeing her sad was making me upset too. Whatever had happened last night, and the day when I came back, must have been hard on her. I didn't blame her- if I had to hold something like that in, I'd want to cry too. She looked like she needed someone to talk to, and when I thought about it, so did I.

Pushing myself off from the wall, I went over to Xion and slowly pulled her into my arms. She didn't pull away, instead burying her tear-streaked face into my left shoulder.

"D- Don't leave m-me like that again y-you hear?" she stuttered, her voice muffled.

"Yeah, I hear." I said quietly, gently starting to rub her back. "I hear..."

We stayed like that for a while. Xion continued to sob into my shoulder while I tried to calm her down. Eventually she stopped crying and I let her go.

"Are you okay now?" I asked, wiping a tear from her cheek.

She sniffled and rubbed her eyes, wiping the last of the tears away. "I think so."

"C'mon then," I said, getting up. "I know what will cheer you up."

"Really?" she said, grabbing my outstretched hand and standing up. "What's that?"

"After we go get breakfast-

"And go to Vexen." She interrupted, and I smiled.

"And go to Vexen, why don't we go to twilight town for an ice cream?"

She crossed her arms. "Well, I don't know about you but I don't want to have to go through what we just went through again, rox."

I sighed. "I guess you're right, but I have another idea."

"And what would that be?"

"We have breakfast first, then go to Vexen's lab, then go back to the kitchen to get some sea salt ice cream bars from the freezer, and finally go up to the balcony and eat them there."

She laughed quietly, holding her hand over her mouth. "I guess that will work, but we'll have to walk all the way there and back I hope you know."

"Ah, a little exercise will do us good." I said, grabbing her hand and leading her off to the mess hall. "Now come on, I'm starving here!"

**-Till November-**

Luckily for us, the mess hall was empty when we went in; it would have been very awkward if any other members herd what had happened in the hall. Just because it was empty didn't mean there was nothing to eat though- the table off to the side still had a good amount of food on it, and I rushed over to it and grabbed a plate. Was I ever hungry!

Xion followed me slowly, looking more than a little worried at the amount of food on my plate.

By the time she had gotten over to the table, I was already finished dishing out myself a wide assortment of food including: two large pancakes with maple syrup, several spoonfuls of scrambled eggs, two slices of toast, and some strips of bacon. With my meal gathered, I walked over to the long table and, sitting down at my spot, didn't hesitate to chow down.

"Umm, Roxas?" Xion called to me from the smaller table. "I don't think you should be eating that much right after you were sick."

"Why nod?" I asked with my mouth full of scrambled eggs.

"Because it could be bad for your stomach, that's why." She sat down beside me, putting her plate on the table. Xion had a much smaller meal of only one pancake and some bacon.

I stayed silent for a moment. Now that I thought about it, I had never been this hungry before. My usual meal would be a pancake or two and some milk, but I had already eaten two pancakes, and some scrambled eggs, and I was still hungry! There was something up with that.

"Hello? Anyone in there?"Xion said, waving a gloved hand in front of my face. I must have been spacing out or something.

Swallowing the food in my mouth, I turned to look at her. "Sorry about that; I just got lost in my thoughts a little there."

She looked down while picking at a piece of bacon on her plate. "I don't blame you. A lot of things happened in the last few days and we've had no time to stop and think."

I nodded. "Yeah. I think we should both have a Q and A at the balcony later."

"Definitely," She said, sticking a piece of pancake into her mouth and then swallowing it. "I think we both have some questions that need answering."

**-Till November- **

Once we were finished eating, Xion and I made our way down to Vexen's lab on the basement floor. It was cold down here, and I rubbed my arms absently. Chills were going down my spine and I felt nervous, and it wasn't because of the cold. I got the feeling I wasn't supposed to be down here- like some nagging sensation in the back of my brain.

"Well, here we are," Xion said as we finally approached the lab. "Don't worry Roxas. We'll be out of here in no time."

I nodded but didn't respond. Slowly, we walked up to the large double doors. Xion knocked twice, and then stepped back. I followed her lead. After a small _click_, the right door creaked open to reveal Vexen in his standard lab coat.

He said nothing for a moment while he observed us. Clearly Vexen was once again in a bad mood, and we didn't want to make him mad. His eyed lingered on me for longer than I would have liked. They seemed to pierce through me and the nagging sensation in my head got slightly stronger.

Eventually he averted his gaze and looked over at Xion. She also had a nervous look on her face. I guess Vexen has that kind of effect on everyone.

"Is something wrong XIV?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, her voice a monotone. "He was sick last night and I think you should check on him."

Vexen sighed quietly, and walked back into his lab. "Bring him in."

We went in.

Getting out two stool's from some unknown part of his lab, Vexen put them both down in front of his desk and told us to sit.

We sat.

"What's the problem this time?" he said, sitting down in the chair behind his desk.

"Where to begin?" Xion mumbled, scratching the back of her head. She turned to me. "Help me out here Roxas."

I turned to Vexen, my heart beating almost painfully in my chest. There was no turning back now.

I launched into my story, quickly re-capping everything that had happened from the time when I woke up in the hall, to just now when I walked in the lab. Xion filled in for when I was out- I blushed lightly at the fact that she was the one to take my shirt off. She said I had been delirious, and I believed her. I left out the part about my dream though- that was one secret I was going to keep.

When we had finished retelling our story, Vexen nodded and got up from his desk. He went to a cabinet at the back of the lab, and he pulled an empty syringe from it.

"Roll up your sleeve." He said to me, and thinking that he wanted to see my scar, I pulled my coat down which exposed the dark brown marks on my shoulder. Vexen flinched at the sight of them, his eyes showing fear for a second, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"Not your shoulder, your arm. I want a blood sample to confirm something." He said, irritation creeping into his voice.

I hesitated. Something was telling me not to do that either, but I ignored it and rolled up my sleeve. This feeling was starting to piss me off.

Gently, Vexen pushed the needle into my arm and I cringed slightly at the pain. He extracted a small amount of crimson liquid and then pulled the needle out, setting it lightly down on his desk.

"You may go now." He said, turning around to face the wall.

Xion and I gasped in surprise. That was it? Just a blood sample and I could go?

"Are you sure you don't want to do anything else?" she asked.

Vexen didn't move. "No. All I need is a blood sample to find out what I need. You both are dismissed."

Both of us looked at each other quizzically for a moment. Mentally deciding that there was no arguing with Vexen, we both got up and left without a word, heading back to the mess hall.

**Mei: "And now, it is time for something I have never done before.**

**REVIEW REPLIES! OMG!"**

**StarLion: "yes, you get a special mention. Like I said before, your story is great and you deserve it!"**

**Ennicx: "no laziness on my review page! Just kidding. Thank you for the "good stuff", and the criticizing. Both are very welcome!"**

**SettingSunRisingMoon: "yeah, at least someone get's it! XD."**

**NexarkXIII: "that sucks when a charger breaks doesn't it? I've been in that situation too. Your review actually gave me an idea though- I'm not gonna tell what it is. ~**

**MechBoyOfDoom: "thank you so much, new reviewer! I read your profile too- I guess you know StarLion then huh?"**

**AnimeBell: "what kind of bubbles do you mean?"**

**Storm damin: "yes, I do like the inheritance cycle and the cirque du freak, 'storm Darren.' I just finished reading the entire series, and if you liked those you should read the 'saga of larten crepsley', cuz' so far that is a good one too."**

**Thank you for all the reviews!**

"**AND REVIEW!"**


	14. ice cream

Xion and I walked quickly back to the mess hall, chatting about the strange visit to Vexen's lab the entire way there. I thought it was very strange that all the scientist did was take a blood sample; according to Xion, I was sick with a high fever last night and as far as I knew, sticking a needle in my arm and taking some of my blood wasn't going to help me get any better. This brought up another important point; what would show up on the test? Maybe the sickness I had now had something to do with my blood, or even DNA. I knew that some diseases are genetic, meaning you are born with them, but for me that was impossible. The only way for a nobody to get an illness like that was if your somebody had it. I didn't know much about my somebody, but I knew enough about him to know that he did not have any previous conditions beforehand. At the same time, I knew this couldn't be genetic, because what happened last night had never happened before. The symptoms were more along the lines of the flu, and even then the sickness doesn't just affect you for one night and then go away.

'_What is happening to me?'_ I thought in frustration. First I woke up in a random hallway on the third floor, then I get a fever and pass out for twelve hours, I have a huge appetite and I'm feeling fine when I wake up, and on top of all that, Vexen was once again acting strange and only asked for a blood sample. Then again, Vexen was always acting strange- sitting in his lab for days on end, doing experiments on who knows what. For all I knew, he could be creating a nuclear bomb down there or something.

"So Xion," I said, turning to the ebony-haired girl beside me. "Are you still up for an ice cream?"

"Roxas, Roxas, Roxas," she said, shaking a finger at me and frowning slightly. "Since when am I not up for an ice cream?"

I chuckled quietly. "Good point, and I'll take that as a yes."

She nodded, and we lapsed into an awkward silence.

Sticking my hands into my coat pockets, we continued walking. Eventually the kitchen came into sight, and we went in, quickly grabbing two ice cream sticks from the freezer and then heading out to the balcony.

Xion continued to remain silent as we walked. Her silence was beginning to freak me out- when she was around me, all she ever seemed to do is talk. I dimly wondered if other girls acted the same way- talking one minute, and silent the next.

Once we were out on the balcony, we both sat down on the small but comfy benches that were there, and began to eat our frozen treats.

"Roxas..." Xion whispered once she had finished her ice cream.

"Yes?" I asked, turning towards her. My ice cream was already long gone.

"Do...do you want to start?" she said, her voice somewhat strained.

"Maybe... where to begin though?" I paused. I wanted to know what happened after I was attacked by the darkside. "Why don't you start with what happened after I got knocked out?"

"I guess..." she said quietly and then started to retell that day's events. She told me how I slammed into the station tower, and how I cracked the brick behind-that part surprised me. No wonder I lost my life; that thing must've thrown me very hard. She then proceeded to tell me about a strange magic attack she used when the darkside had put up a barrier. When I asked her how she did it, she just shrugged and said: "I don't really know." Xion also told me that if, by some chance, she managed to master that attack one day she would teach it to me. Naturally, I thanked her.

After that, Xion said that she had to drag my unconscious body back to the castle, and get me there fast because I was losing blood quickly. She told me about the large cuts on my shoulder, head, and chest, and I nodded. That would have explained the strange stretching and melding I had felt later when I was coming back. Xion ended up taking me to Vexen's lab, where I eventually died of blood loss. By the time she had gotten to the part when I finally slipped away she was almost in tears.

When she had composed herself, she turned to me and said: "Now, why don't you tell me what happened when you were unconscious?"

**-Till November- **

Roxas visibly stiffened. Xion knew that he had been hiding something for the past few days, and it seemed that this was it. _'I knew it!'_ she thought in triumph. _'I knew he saw something when he was out! And now, I get to find out what that is.' _

Roxas didn't respond. He stayed silent, his eyes wandering down to his palms that were in his lap. She had noticed this odd behaviour; he seemed to do this when he was worried or nervous about something.

"Roxas?" she pressed, curious about his hesitation.

He looked up at this, and their gazes locked for a moment. Xion thought she had seen a spark of anger in his eyes, but she couldn't be sure.

"S-sorry," he stuttered, rubbing the back of his head apologetically. "I guess I just got lost in my thoughts a little there."

Xion nodded and waited for him to continue. Slowly, he looked up, staring at the stars above.

"I...uh," Roxas hesitated again. He frowned, his face contorting into a mix of anger and concentration.

"What did you see Roxas?"

He looked back down at her, his expression unreadable. "I...I saw..." he looked like he was about to say something else, but then he turned away. "Nothing. I saw nothing."

Her shoulders sagged slightly. "Really? You're sure you didn't see anything when you were out? Anything at all?"

He wouldn't meet her gaze. "Yes, I'm sure."

She sighed, and then stretched. "Alright then. Well, I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired. I'm going to head back to my room okay?"

"Yeah, okay." He said, still refusing to look at her.

Defeated, she turned around and headed back towards the door.

'_Great. Now he's hiding things from me...'_

**-Till November- **

I hated to have to lie to Xion, I really did. I wanted to tell her everything; about the weird dream with the strange voice, the prophecy, and the legend, along with the other dream- the one with the strange woman and city in it. I wanted to tell her, but that annoying feeling at the back of my head interfered again. It was practically screaming in my head: _'shut up! Shut up!' _I didn't have much choice but to do what it said.

I sighed and looked down. Xion was probably mad at me now; what with the way she almost stormed back to her room. She had never been mad at me before, and now I was a little scared at what she would say to me tomorrow morning.

Slowly I stood up and headed back to my own room. I would have to talk to Zexion tomorrow and tell him that I was no longer able to create portals- or go through them for that matter.

**Mei: "y'know, I just realized something."**

**Roxas: "really? What's that?"**

**Mei: "we forgot to say a disclaimer last week!"**

**Roxas: "yeah, that's because you got so caught up in review replies that you forgot to do it."**

**Mei: "yeah, sorry about that. Anyway, we have more important things to get to- which means you have to get out Roxas! Out, out, OUT!"**

**Roxas: *getting pushed out of the room* "why do I have to leave? What did I ever do to you?"**

**Mei: "never mind that, just get out!" *slams the door***

**Okay, now that he is gone I have some important business to attend to.**

**I NEED YOUR HELP. **

**I'm starting to run out of good ideas here, so if any of you have any good ideas- any at all- concerning this story, leave it in a review. I don't care if it is for a new OC, or if you want me to include an existing character more, or something else. I just need idea's okay? Please and thank you!**

**Speaking of reviews, thank you to:**

**Ennicx, NexarkXIII, SettingSunRisingMoon, StarLion, MechBoyOfDoom, and storm damin for once again reviewing.**

**P.S: I'm sorry for such a short chapter, but I had a REALLY bad case of writers block this week. T-T**

**P.P.S: expect a time-skip in the next chapter or so.**

**AND REVIEW!**


	15. Of blood tests and insects

**Roxas: "You did it again Mei."**

**Mei: "Did what?"**

**Roxas: "You forgot to do the disclaimer AGAIN."**

**Mei: "I did?" *checks* "OMG I DID!"**

**Roxas: "Exactly. So what do you tell the nice people that read this story?"**

**Mei: *hangs head in shame* "I'm sorry for not saying it again and please don't sue us."**

**Roxas: "'Us' being you and me. Anyway, why don't you say the stupid disclaimer now so you don't forget once again?"**

**Mei: "Will do. WE DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS, AND WE GET NO PROFIT FOR THIS STORY. THE ONLY THING WE OWN IS THE PLOT. DON'T SUE US."**

**Roxas: "Did you have to say it so loud?"**

**Mei: "YES. YES I DID. NOW READ THE GODDAM CHAPTER."**

**Roxas: *sighs* **

_Crash._

Turning around, Vexen cursed as he went to clean up the spilled vial of potion off the floor. For the past several hours, he had been running tests on the blood he collected from Roxas. Vexen had a theory about what was happening to him but there was only one way to find out- and that was with a sample of the blonde's DNA.

Cleaning up the last of the glass shards, he quickly scooped them up and threw them into the garbage. Vexen was more than a little impatient to find out the results of the test- if he was right about what was happening to Roxas, then this could be bad, very bad for both himself, and the rest of the organization. If word got out that they had one of _them_ in their midst...

Turning back to his work, he gently slid the results of the test out of the machine, being careful not to damage it in the process. Holding it up to the light, he examined the marks on it.

Vexen's eyes widened in surprise and he almost dropped the test.

"I was right," he whispered, not believing what he was seeing. "But, that's impossible! I thought they were wiped out over ten years ago now! And not only that, but his somebody was a..."

Vexen trailed off as he walked over to the computer that was sitting on his desk, and logging on, he began to access the organization's private files.

Contrary to popular belief, he WAS one of the organizations founding members and because of that he had access to top secret files. Those files had information on all of the nobodies; how they were born, where they came from, what were they like, even things like hair and eye colour. These files also had information about other species, such as the Heartless, the Unversed, and _Them_.

_Them_ being the infernal creatures that were against everything they stood for, the animals that stood for the _light_... disgusting. He despised them.

And now there was one right in the middle of the organization.

He cursed again. There was only one way Roxas could have been infected, and that was with a bite from another Lycan. That meant that the boy wasn't the only one left- there had to be at least one more.

Gently he placed the test back on the table and massaged his temples. The question was though-

Who was it?

**-THREE WEEKS LATER-**

Quietly, I watched as an annoying fly continued to buzz by my nose. Taking yet another angry swipe at it, I missed, and it flew away from me on tiny wings; just out of range of my bare arms.

"Stupid fly." I muttered as I sat up on my bed, kicking off the sheets and rubbing my shoulder. For the past three weeks I had been cooped up in the castle, doing absolutely nothing. I had told Zexion about the fact that I could no longer use dark portals, and even though I had practically begged him not to tell the superior, he ended up telling him anyway. Damn bastard. He was lucky Xemnas was okay with it (which was a surprise), or I would have punched his tiny mouth in.

Swinging my long legs over the side of my bed, I sighed. Being stuck in the castle was beginning to affect my attitude- I felt so angry all the time, and I spent most of my spare time away from the rest of the organization, in total seclusion. Being by myself didn't seemed to do much though; even the smallest thing's- like that goddamn fly over there- made me want to punch a hole through the wall.

Getting up, I grabbed the flyswatter from my bedside table and, walking towards the infernal insect, quickly put an end to it with a quick _snap_ of my wrist.

"How ya like me now you son of a- ow!" I muttered, sitting back down on my bed and rubbing my now sore toe. With a small grunt, I kicked the culprit- a small star shaped pendant- across the room. Also in the last three weeks, I had grown considerably taller; my legs had grown so long that they almost hung off the side of my bed. If I had to make an educated guess, I would say that I was a full head taller than Xion now, maybe more.

'_Xion,'_ I thought sourly with a small shake of my head. Ever since the awkward conversation we had, I noticed that she had been avoiding me- I'd go to the lounge to read (I was BORED, give me a break!), and as soon as I got there, she'd grab her own book and leave. This, coupled with the fact that she wouldn't talk to me either, was getting me even more depressed then I already was.

Sighing, I stood up and walked towards my desk, grabbing a plain white T shirt from the edge of my couch and pulling it on at the same time. Taking a pen out from one of the wooden drawers, I marked off yesterday's date- September 24th- on my plain white and red calendar. I had gotten into a habit where I marked down each date, until the page was filled with small blue X's. I don't know why, but I felt I needed to mark down the dates. I got the strangest feeling that it was somehow important. My hand gently brushed the surface of the page, feeling the thin indents where the pen marked. I blinked, looking to the right of my hand. According to the calendar, this Friday was supposed to be another full moon.

I grimaced, hoping that there wasn't going to be a repeat of the last full moon- with me losing my memory, waking up in a random hallway, the weird dreams, and having strange marks on my shoulder afterwards. I looked down to see the small marks still there- they hadn't changed at all in the three weeks that I'd had them.

My stomach grumbled noisily. My height wasn't the only thing that had increased over that time; so did my appetite. Every day, I'd go down to the mess hall to get myself a large breakfast, eat it quickly, and then take a walk in the dark city below the castle. No one questioned me about my odd behaviour or about where I was going, and for that I was grateful.

The truth was, I had been going down to the dark city to not only be by myself, but to stretch my stiff muscles and blow off steam as well. I could only sit still for so long- after a while you just want to get up and run somewhere, and that's basically what I do. The almost endless supply of shadow and neoshadow heartless were the perfect targets for my pent-up frustration. I had done this every morning, and because of that my chest, arms, and legs were now well toned. Gently, I raised my left arm and flexing the muscle, poked it with my other hand.

I smiled in satisfaction when I felt the hardness beneath my skin. _'Yup, still hard.'_ I thought, putting the pen away, and picking up a pair of black pants off my floor. Pulling them on, I left my room and headed to the mess hall to put some food in my angry stomach.

The walk down to the kitchen was uneventful; I saw no one in the hallways as I went. Everything was quiet- I figured that most of the organization was on missions for the day, leaving the castle almost empty. Almost, because of the fact that Darth Mansex (superior), Emo kid (Zexion), and Twinkle fangs (Saix) were all still here. For some reason, Zexion was still second in command. He still had all of his duties and responsibilities, even though saix himself was back to normal- or so I thought.

It seemed like everywhere I went, moon boy was there, watching me, observing me, _calculating my next move _kind of staring and, to be honest, it was starting to piss me off. There was a few times just last week that I came _very_ close to telling him to eff off- but I held my tongue. I was still number XIII, and he was still number VII, and if he wanted to he could get me in a lot of trouble with the superior, much to my distaste. Turning another corner, I walked down the hall and entered the kitchen.

Speak of the goddamn devil.

Saix himself was sitting at the table eating what appeared to be a ham sandwich, and sipping a root beer between bites. That was strange too; until now I don't think I've ever seen him consume anything carbonated- root beer included. His expression was emotionless, but by the way the corner of his mouth twitched every so often, I could tell that he was not happy.

That or he was hiding something.

Ignoring him, I walked over to the table to my right and started to grab my food. His eyes never left me the entire time- they were practically boring holes into the back of my neck. Once I had what I wanted, I sat down at my seat and ate, taking huge bites of my huge meal. I didn't want to be sitting there for any longer then I had to with this creep. In my haste, I almost bit my tongue twice.

When I was finished, I put my plate away and started to walk towards the door, but then saix stopped me.

"XIII," he called to me from his seat.

Turning around again, I struggled to keep my face blank. "What?" I almost snarled.

He paused, picking a hair from his food and flicked it onto the plate. When he looked up again, his expression was serious.

"Watch your back."

My eyes narrowed. What did he mean by that?

"Yeah, whatever." I said, and walked out the door without another word.

**Oh, man people! There was some BIG things happening in this chappie huh? It's getting good! **

**...  
okay well, maybe not that big, but it was big in my opinion.**

**So, sorry for last week's 'satisfactory' chapter- I hope this made up for it. If any of you have any questions (or any more ideas for that matter), leave a review or send me a PM and I'll get back to you A.S.A.P!**

**Roxas: *reads off list* "so thank you again to: SettingSunRisingMoon, (Ennicx), NexarkXIII, StarLion, storm damin and MechBoyOfDoom for once again reviewing, and for the interesting ideas!"**

**Mei: "I have to say, they were very helpful- and this story is going to get WAAAY better! (I hope!)"**

"**AND REVIEW GODDAMNIT!"**


	16. The Beast Within

Saix watched Roxas leave the kitchen with something close to distain. He had noticed that the blonde was more...emotional lately, if that was possible; he always seemed to have a frown on his face, and snapped violently at anyone who tried to talk to him. This was disturbing indeed. He'd never known Roxas to act so out of line- he was usually quiet, reserved, and did what he was told without a word of protest. Now, it seemed like he had gone through puberty and was acting like an older teenager in less than three weeks. **(1)**

Saix took another bite of his sandwich, carefully chewing it before swallowing.

And not only that, but he seemed to have gone through a major growth spurt as well- growing almost a full head taller and getting in better shape than before. His eating and sleeping patterns had also changed- Roxas would have a large meal in the morning, and then disappear to god-knows where for the rest of the day. Yes, saix had noticed all of his symptoms, and they were alarmingly similar to what he experienced before his first transformation- minus the sleeping patterns. He did have appearances to keep up after all.

He sighed, taking yet another bite of his sandwich.

Keeping up appearances now was hard- being stuck at the castle all day everyday meant that you were often the center of attention. He was used to this though, because of the time that he had spent as second in command. However, he was hardly qualified now because of the fact that he could no longer create off-world portals; he was stuck here, along with Roxas, and Zexion who had taken his place. He could create portals to anywhere in the castle or the dark city, but if he tried to make one to twilight town for instance, it would be too unstable to travel through. So, he did the only thing he could do in this situation.

He waited for the inevitable.

Saix had been watching Roxas for the past several weeks, making sure that he did not tell any of the other members what had happened. And the closer it got to the full moon, the stranger the boy acted. He himself was very similar- he had noticed the symptoms start to manifest seven days before it, and get steadily worse throughout the week.

If he was right about what the beast inside of him did to Roxas, then he would transform on the next full moon.

Looking down, he took another sip of his root beer. Saix was worried about what would happen to him too- would the beast inside of him take over again? And if it did, what would it do this time? He didn't want it to attack anyone- even if some specific members of the organization did deserve a good swat on the head.

Finishing his sandwich, he chugged the rest of the root beer and threw the can and paper plate into the trash. He hadn't transformed into his wolf form since that night as well- even though he was at the back of his own mind at the time, he had enjoyed-no, loved- running around on four legs. He missed the pure joy if it, the pure power and strength, but was it really worth it? If he transformed and the beast attacked the organization, there was almost no chance that he would be able to control it. It overpowered him so easily last time, taking almost no effort to push his conscious to the back of his mind. Some way or another, he was going to have to find some way to control it, or someone may lose their life because of him.

Suddenly, his head started to throb and his knees almost buckled from underneath him. He put one of his hands on the wall for support.

'_**You wish to have control over me?'**_

Wildly looking around, saix quickly came to the conclusion that the voice was coming from his own head.

'_**Speak.'**_ The voice was low and powerful, almost a growl.

"Who are you?" he spoke, his voice unwavering.

'_**I am the answer to your prayers, the source to all of your problems. I am your beginning and your end. I am light, but I am also darkness. I am a beast, yet I am also human. I live inside your mind, but I am not contained by it. I am your rebellious other half, but most importantly,**_

'_**I am you.'**_

"My other half..." he mumbled in thought. "What do you mean?"

'_**I am what allows you to transform- as long as the moon is shining; I can force us to change.'**_

Saix thought of when the next full moon was and shuddered. "What If I do not wish to change?"

'_**You do not have a choice. When the full moon rises, we **_**will **_**change. Its power is too strong. Even if I were to try and stop the change, it would not work.'**_

He paused. Maybe he could find out more about what was happening if he asked.

"What else can you tell me about our...species?"

'_**I can tell you that the boy we bit- yes, he is infected, and yes, he will transform. I do not know how he will act when the transformation is complete however, so use caution on that night.'**_

The voice almost seemed to take a breath before continuing.

'_**I can also tell you that you and I share a bond; we are connected through the heart- or in your case mind- and from now on when we fight, you will draw all your power from me. I am your spirit partner- your link to the **_**pack**_**. Every lycan is born with a spirit partner, and when the time comes, we help you through the transformation. As for gaining control, you yourself will have to assert dominance over me. Otherwise, my aura will simply smother yours.'**_

"I have tried." He spoke, not liking what he was hearing. "Your presence is to powerful. I fear I am not capable of-

'_**Then try harder!'**_ the voice roared from within him, making the blunette cringe. _**'You have not even attempted to transform after the first time because you are a coward, afraid to lose control, afraid to live! You are a Lycan; a being with far more power than you realize, and you neglect it, acting as if it is some horrible curse! This is something you should cherish, not look at like filth.' **_

"Then help me." Saix muttered after some hesitation. He was never one to ask for help, but it seemed like he had no choice. They were in this together whether he liked it or not.

'_**That is what I am here for. I will help to the best of my ability, but like I said I cannot do the work for you. I suggest we start practicing the transformation soon- the next full moon is approaching.' **_

"likewise." He grunted, pushing himself off from the wall. "I want to at least be able to control myself when the time comes."

Saix slowly started to walk back to his room, not bothering to use a dark portal. They were too much trouble to have to summon- taking so much energy to concentrate the darkness, it wasn't worth it.

"I take it this setup is permanent then?" he asked, figuring that there was no quick fix for something like this.

'_**Correct. As long as we are alive, we cannot be separated.' **_

He sighed quietly. So this was permanent- never could he go back to being a normal nobody- normally searching for his heart, normally having no emotions, normally being normal. Ah, who needed normal anyway? It was overrated.

Then another thought came to him- this being inside of him had no name- no title. Nothing to define it.

"You have no name; what should I call you?"

'_**Hmm,' **_the voice paused to think for a moment._** 'I have never needed a name before this but; I guess you can call me...Aegis.'**_

**Yes, I mentioned puberty. PUBERTAY. Had enough yet?**

**And just so you know, Aegis is pronounced 'A-GUS'. Thank you for your time. :)**

**Anyway, sorry this is short again, but I have trouble with saix parts for some reason. And don't worry- Roxas will be back in the next chapter guaranteed!**

**Mei: "Roxas? Roxaaaaas...? Where is that boy? We have to say the disclaimer."**

**Saix: *randomly walks in* "I'm here for lycan 101."**

**Mei: "umm, saix? This is the lounge. There is no lycan 101 class."**

**Saix: "oh." *starts to walk out of the room***

**Mei: "hey saix wait! I need your help with something!"**

**Saix: "and what would that be?"**

**Mei: *shoves a piece of paper in his hands* "read from that- I need to start the next chapter!"**

**Saix: *Reads from sheet***

"**According to this, I have to say the disclaimer and the reviews.**

"**Thank you to: NexarkXIII, storm damin, StarLion, MechBoyOfDoom, , SettingSunRisingMoon, Kuraxen, Masaki-Hanabusa, and DarkDemonicAngel.**

***sighs* "why am I doing this again?"**

**Mei: "because I'm busy. Now keep reading!"**

**Saix: "we do not own kingdom hearts. Period."**

**Aegis: **_**'she does however; own both me and the other (currently unnamed) OC.'**_

"**AND REVIEW!"**


	17. Bloodspill

**Yeah... just a little warning; I make this a little 'descriptive' so if you are squeamish or something watch out!**

**Roxas: "Yeah Mei! Why did you have to make the heartless bleed so much?"**

**Mei: "Because it makes it more interesting that's why! And... I happen to like a little blood here and there..."**

**Roxas: "Ha-ha, anyway, on with the chapter!"**

As soon as I left the mess hall, I headed straight for the exit that lead to the dark city. I had to go work off that meal that I just ate, and I had a real craving for some heartless abuse this morning. I didn't need to go back to my room to grab a sweater- I didn't need it. Despite the fact that it rained in the dark city often, the climate in this world was surprisingly warm. I was glad for that fact- fighting in a heavy black coat all the time wore you down quicker than if you were fighting in something light, like a T-shirt and track pants.

I quickly jogged down the white steps in the stairwell's two at a time, making my way down to the basement floor. Walking through the hallways, I avoided Vexen's lab. He was even creepier than Saix, and I didn't want to have to deal with him right now. I was in a good mood this morning- for the first time in what seemed like ages.

Finally reaching the exit, I stepped onto the glowing bridge and walked down into the city. Slowly entering the clearing between buildings, I looked around for any heartless. Those little buggers could sneak up on you without warning, and I did not want to be caught off guard. For some reason, the atmosphere seemed darker and more sinister than usual; as if something evil was lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike at a moment's notice. I lightly shrugged off the feeling- nothing ever came here, except for me and the heartless of course.

My footsteps echoed eerily off the large skyscrapers as I went to go stand in front of the central building. Quietly taking a deep breath, I then flicked my wrist out and after a bright flash of light; the two become one keyblade appeared in my hand. Its appearance hadn't changed- it was still silver and black, along with the fact that it was still twice as powerful as the original kingdom key.

Holding my keyblade out in front of me, I closed my eyes and listened, waiting for the telltale sign of an approaching heartless. Suddenly, I heard a swish noise behind me and I spun around, cleaving my blade through the small shadow. Just as quickly as the first, more heartless showed up to avenge its fallen brethren.

"It's Showtime..." I smirked, charging towards the swarm and cleaving through a neoshadows head, then spun around and took out three more. It went on like this for some time, hacking, stabbing, and slashing, all the while spraying black heartless blood all over the clearing. Strange- I'd never known heartless to bleed; they always exploded into black smoke when defeated instead of making a horrible mess on the battlefield. Never the less, they were monsters that had to be exterminated, and it was my turn to be the exterminator.

Finally, there was only one heartless left. It was a neoshadow- standing across the plaza from me, watching and waiting, its eyes full of hatred. I locked gazes with it; glowing topaz against my bright cerulean orbs, and with a hiss of rage it crouched down into a fighting stance. I slowly did the same, flipping my keyblade into a backhand style again and crouching slightly.

Without warning the heartless charged and swung a dark hand at me; it's shadowy claws ripping through the air. I dodged easily, leaping back several feet and then, closing the distance between us, fiercely drove my blade through its flesh. The heartless was sent flying across the clearing, black blood spraying from a wound in its side. It landed with a dull _thud_.

Snorting, I turned away from it. The heartless only had second's to live- once I had inflicted enough damage, the life blood draining from their bodies would do the rest. Disappointed by the lack of challenge, I started to make my way back to the castle.

Without warning, I started to feel sick. I had gone from feeling fine to my head pounding and my stomach churning in seconds. Putting a hand over my stomach, I doubled over and painfully brought up the contents of my stomach.

"Ugh," I grunted when the convulsion's had stopped, wiping a hand over my dirty mouth. "Gross..."

Straitening up, I brushed off my pants and was about to continue my walk towards the castle when I heard a strange guttural hissing noise behind me. I spun around wildly, searching for the source, but it was already too late- black claws raked through my right arm, spraying beads of red onto the cold concrete below. Searing pain spread through me and I screamed, swinging furiously at whatever had caused me pain.

Suddenly, I spotted it. It was the same neoshadow from before, only the wound I had inflicted on it was gone, and its eyes had turned blood red.

"What the fuck?" I shouted, still clutching my injured arm. "I killed you!"

The heartless hissed at me again in rage, and then bent over on all fours. I stared at it in confusion. What in the worlds was it doing?

Still crouched down, its body seemed to grow in size and change shape. Its arms and legs both turned into massive black paws, each with a set of nasty purple claws that looked positively lethal. Its furless chest expanded outwards and grew more muscular, the dark blue markings remaining on its skin. Its ugly face grew into a muzzle with cat-like glowing red eyes; jaw's full of knife-like teeth, and a crest of black membrane that resembled a bat's wings. It had grown a tail as well- it was long and thin, with what appeared to be the blade of an axe on the end. The thing was completely hairless, and it looked like a cross between a tiger and a naked mole rat.

It growled at me for about two seconds before charging and swinging a paw strait for my face, its razor sharp claws glinting in the moonlight. Thrusting my blade in front of myself, I blocked the attack, wincing when I felt the strain on my injured arm. Leaping to the side, it tried to attack me from behind, swinging its tail and attempting to impale the axe tip into my back.

My lip peeled back into a snarl. So it wanted to play dirty huh? Well, so could I.

Bringing my keyblade back up against my arm, I back flipped and the heartless' tail swung beneath me, unbalancing it. Taking the opportunity, I stabbed my blade deep into its stomach, and my hand, arm, and face were splattered with black blood. Crying out in rage and pain, it fell to the ground after I pulled my keyblade out of its stomach.

"Not so tough now are you?" I spat, kicking it for good measure as it bled to death before me.

Taking a few steps away from it, I sighed. _'Why me?'_ I thought, looking back towards the dying heartless. _'Why does all the bad shit happen to me? First I almost get killed by that darkside, then everyone starts acting weird, and Xion gets mad at me! WHY?'_

"Aaauggh!" I shouted in anger while violently throwing my keyblade to the ground.

"What do you want?" I shouted again, tilting my head back to glare up at kingdom hearts. I was addressing the 'voice' that had come to me in my dream; the one that had told me of the Prophecy, the one that had told me that my heart was **HIS**, the one that was supposed to be helping me. It wasn't.

"What do you want from me? What am I supposed to do?"

Of course, I got no response whatsoever; the heavens were cold and quiet, doing nothing to ease my stress. I sighed again. Why must everything be so difficult all the time?

Slowly, once my breathing had gone back to normal, I silently made my way through the bodies of the fallen heartless and back up to the castle.

**-Till November- **

_From the shadows of the central skyscraper, a hooded figure watched the blonde boy leave. He had defeated the large swarm of heartless with such ease, and had lay waste to the Tainted heartless before- this was no small feat, even for the bearer of a key. Perhaps this boy had some talent after all. _

_Under the hood, pale lips curved upwards into a sinister smile, and golden amber eyes showed hints of rage and betrayal. Yes... the Master would be pleased with this knowledge; everything was going according to plan. _

'_Just like the last one...' the figure spoke quietly, almost as if speaking too loud would reveal his presence to the inhabitants of the castle above. 'Let's see if he has what it takes.' _

_Straitening up, the figure turned and then disappeared into a dark corridor. _

***bows* my apologies friends. **

**I did not mean to be late on the chapter, but some thing's came up. Luckily, I was still writing so... yeah you don't care.**

**Anyway, here it is now so read, review, and I hope you continue following my story!**

**Roxas: "yeah, you'd better. Trust me- she's not afraid to send threats."**

**Mei: "Believe it!" **

**Naruto: "HEY! That's MY line!"**

**Mei: "Shut up Naruto! Nobody cares about you or your stupid English catch phrase. Go hang out with your cooler, catchphrase-less Japanese alter ego!"**

**Japanese Naruto: "Duttebayo..."**

**Mei: "You know the drill people- I don't own kingdom hearts!"**

"**AND REVIEW!"  
**


	18. Confrontations

"Cura."

Holding my left hand above my injured arm, I watched as a green aura enveloped the wound and started to heal it. I winced as my skin melded together; using magic to heal wounds was almost as painful as the injury itself. It did have an upside though; that upside being not having to deal with the wound for weeks while it healed on its own.

Finishing the spell, I got up from my bed and grabbed a sweater from the armrest of my couch. I don't know what was wrong with me but ever since I had gotten back to my room, I felt sick. Not like the nausea from before, but like a cold and flu sort of thing. I sighed, heading for my door- I was going to the kitchen for some _Advil _to cure the headache that was now plaguing my mind. After that, I was going to get some well- earned rest.

A few minutes later, I was just outside the mess hall, catching my breath. Apparently I was sicker then I thought; the walk down to the kitchen never wore me out like this. When my strangled breathing had gone back to normal I walked inside, and instantly regretted it.

Axel was sitting at his spot at the central table looking absolutely bored. He was eating a sandwich (what was with people and sandwiches around here?); though I couldn't tell what kind it was from where I was standing. He looked tired too- and not to mention a little sweaty.

"Oh, hey Roxas." He waved to me as I walked past him to the kitchen counter. I wasn't here to talk; I was here to get what I needed and get out. I opened up the cupboard to grab myself a glass, and I heard the offending redhead shift around in his seat.

"So Roxas, what have you been up to these days? I heard that you can't use dark corridors anymore. That must suck huh?"

I suppressed a growl. Of course he heard, everyone in the castle had heard! It was common knowledge by now. Saying nothing, I took the water jug out of the fridge, and filled my glass to the brim.

"y'know," Axel continued. "I always did find this place boring when the other members are not around. Do you get bored when you are here by yourself?"

As I put the water jug back into the fridge, I feel a sudden urge to kick him where the sun doesn't shine.

"That bad huh," he said, fully turning around in his seat. "Well, if you ever want to talk to someone about it I'm-

"I never asked you!" I shouted, spinning around to face him. Axel may be a good friend and all, but man, does that dude ever like to pry!

The red-head looked genuinely hurt by my outburst, but he and I both knew that it was fake. The only one with real emotion's here was me, the one that is supposedly human.

"I see." He said quietly, and got up to throw his plate and half-eaten sandwich away. Walking down the side of the table, he moved towards the entrance to the hall, pausing in the doorway and turning back to me with an almost sympathetic expression.

"We're worried for you Roxas, Xion and I," I flinched when he said her name, but said nothing. "We want to help you get through whatever it is you're going through, but we can't do that if your room all the time. Not to mention it is bad for your health."

"Why do you care?" I said, clenching my hands into fists and shoving them into my pockets. "Are you even sure that Xion cares? She hasn't said a single word to me in weeks!"

"She does care," Axel muttered harshly, sounding more serious than he had in a long time. "She cares for you far more then you know," he turned around facing the entryway. "And you should do the same."

And with that, he walked out the door.

"Damn..." I muttered under my breath when I was sure he was out of earshot. Axel never did know when to leave things alone.

I was left to wonder about what he has said though- what did he mean by: 'and you should do the same.' I chewed my lip in anger. It seemed like there was always more questions than answers to the things I asked. Sighing, I turned around and grabbed the bottle of painkillers from the cupboard, and took one of the pills from the container. After a small hesitation, I took out another one and then popped them both into my mouth. Axels' lecture had done nothing to ease my headache- it had only made it worse.

**-Till November-**

Roxas always had been difficult. From the day he joined the organization, he had always been quiet, pessimistic, and somewhat reckless- charging into battle with random heartless without even the slightest amount of fear. This behaviour was even worse when he first came because of the zombie-like state he was in at the time.

The black-clad read head smiled at the semi-fond memory. Roxas had gone with him on his first mission to twilight town, and even then he was giving him the silent treatment, more than a week after he had arrived. Most of the organization that had joined after himself had started to talk normally again in less than three days. Roxas had gone almost a week without speaking, and Axel had begun to worry that he would not speak at all.

That all changed though, when Xion showed up.

Axel wasn't stupid. He'd noticed Roxas' change in behaviour from day one- the first time he saw her, Roxas had a look in his eyes that could only be described as one thing- love. Since then it hadn't gone away- even if the two of them seemed to be fighting at the moment. He doubted they'd fight for very long- both of them were incredibly stubborn, and one of them would apologize eventually.

And it wasn't like Xion was any different; she had stuck to Roxas like a stubborn burr since she showed up as well. He had to admit though; they were definitely made for each other. They both had similar personalities-they acted the same, they said the same thing's in similar situations, even their eye colours were the same shade of ice blue.

He sighed. Axel always felt like he was the one getting left out- being kicked to the sidelines as all of his friends and family were either forcibly taken from him or they abandoned him. And he didn't just mean now- this also occurred at the time before he was a nobody as well. Needless to say he had a bad past, and for some reason, thinking of Roxas and Xion brought it up.

'_Maybe it's because Roxas looks like _him_...'_Axel thought as he continued his walk towards the grey area. The halls were quiet- most of the other members were still on their mission's for the day, and it just so happened that his mission had gone very fast today.

'_Dire plant's never stood a chance!' _he thought to himself with a smirk.

Making his way from the dark hallway into the brightness of the grey area, he thought about where he stood now. With the way things were with Roxas and Xion, it appeared as if he was going to be left on the sidelines again. That is, if the two teens ever made-up.

Sighing, he plopped down onto one of the grey couches on the left side of the room. There was no one here, save for himself, making it eerily quiet. Axel sat in grim silence for what felt like hours, before it was abruptly shattered by the sound of a dark portal opening up behind him.

"How'd your mission go?" He called to the figure as she stepped out onto the white marble floor below.

"Better than usual actually." Xion said as she sat down beside Axel. "I'm so much stronger than I used to be- defeating tiny little shadow's is so easy now!"

He smiled warmly at the ebony haired girl. "I'm glad to hear it. I guess the extra training you did on your spare time paid off."

"You bet! Soon I will be as strong as...Roxas." Xion's smile faded. The blonde had been a touchy subject ever since Roxas had started to act all emo-like. Axel didn't understand why Xion didn't want to talk to him, or Roxas vice-versa. Every time someone mentioned Roxas, she would get upset, and usually storm out of whatever room they were in. Last week, she had even gone so far as to snap at Xigbar just because he had mentioned that "the little squirt should come out of his room- we already have one emo, we don't need any more." This statement caused both Xion and Zexion to leave the room in different states of anger.

He ran a hand through his spiked blood red hair, and then crossed his arms. "Why don't you just go and talk to him? I think he is getting a little lonely up there all by himself."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because..." Xion stood up and started to pace. "It's not that simple."

He rubbed his temples. "And why Xion, is it not that simple?"

"j- w- BECAUSE IT'S NOT!" she half sputtered, half shouted, then ran out the door.

Axel frowned, watching her leave. Girls- why did they always have to be so complicated?

**Poor axel- he never gets any love. T-T**

**Anyway, sorry that this chapter is sort of filler-ish, but some of the points in here were kind of important, and had to be 'addressed' A.S.A.P. this is also why I have chosen to update early. (Yay!)**

**So, with this week being March break, there is a slim possibility (keyword being slim) that I will be able to update twice this week. Don't get your hopes up though- I feel some writer's block coming on, and you know what happens when people get a case of that!**

**Mei: Well, Roxas has decided to abandon me again this week, so I will be a good sport and say the disclaimers and such.**

**Thank you's this week go out to: StarLion, NomNomKitties, NexarkXIII, storm damin, , MechBoyOfDoom, dark demonic angel, and SettingSunRisingMoon. Thank you, and sorry for no mention last week- that chapter was extremely rushed, and I had less time to edit.**

**I really wish kingdom hearts belonged to me, but alas, I highly doubt I will ever have that much money. So obviously, I don't own it. ^_^**

**AND REVIEW!**


	19. The Wings Of Destiny

Xion stomped down the hallways of the castle, fuming and cursing to herself as she went. Axel had no right to stick his nose in her business- of that she was certain. She and Roxas would sort this out on their own time; they didn't need any help from anyone else.

Quickly making her way to her room two floors below, she stormed in and slammed the door behind her. Her room was strikingly similar to Roxas' in the fact that it had almost all the same things in it- save for the clothes of course, along with the fact that it was inverted- meaning it was flipped in the opposite way. Naturally it was much cleaner, and the room faintly smelled of mint and lilies.

"Damn..." she muttered quietly, while leaning against the now shut door. She was in a horrible mood again; her mission had gone well, but that strange boy... who-and what-was he?

_Flashback~_

_Xion defeated the last of the heartless in the entrance hall of beast's castle, and smiled. Nothing was simpler than plain old shadow heartless, and all twenty of them were taken out with ease. Her mission was done for the day- now she could go back to the castle and relax._

_Walking quickly, she exited the entrance hall through the large double doors, and stepped outside. The air was slightly chilly out here, and she pulled up the collar of her coat with a small shiver. Xion thought she had seen a strange symbol shaped like the letter V on the stone bridge outside and she wanted to have one last look at it before heading back. _

_Heeled boots made quiet _tapping_ noises as she walked through the second set of double doors and out of the courtyard. The gate shut noisily behind her with a loud _bang_ that reverberated through her skull. Turning around, she continued walking towards the place where she had seen the mark._

_Suddenly, the wind picked up and she had to crouch down to prevent being blown off the bridge. It was howling in her ears- a high pitched wail that sounded like dying screams. When it had died down some, she looked up to see a hooded figure in black, and gasped. _

_Even though the figure was facing away from her, Xion could tell that he was male by his build, and looked around Roxas' height. The coat he wore was almost identical to the ones the organization had, except for the elegant white markings on the back, which went from between his shoulder blades, to the small of his back. The coat was not what had made her gasp however- it was the massive, feathery jet black wings that had sprouted out of his back, scattering black feathers on the ground around him. _

_Frozen in fear, Xion continued to crouch on the ground, not daring to move. "W-...what?"_

_Turning around at the sound of her voice, the figure caught sight of her, and laughed._

"_Oh, come on Xion! It's not like you haven't seen wings before; these," He said, gesturing to the black wings as he raised them over his head, "Should be no big deal!" His voice sounded cold and savage, not to mention more than a little cocky. _

_Xion`s eyes widened in horror. "Y-you! Who are you and how do you know my name?"_

"_Who and what I am is none of your concern. My concern is with this thing here." The figure said as he pointed to the mark on the stone at his feet. "This is what my kind need to rule the worlds."_

_Xion looked confused. "Your kind? And what does that one mark have to do with anything?"_

"_Everything Xion, everything. You could be a part of it too if you want." He stretched out a hand to her, almost as if to beg. "Join us Xion, join me, and-_

"_Never!" She shouted, and summoned her keyblade in a bright flash of light. "I don't know who you are, but I am not going to just sit here and let you take over! If your words are true, then I will do everything in my power to stop you right here and now!" Letting out a fierce battle cry, she charged toward him with her keyblade at the ready._

"_Nicely spoken, but your efforts are in vain!" He shouted back, and then disappeared in a whirlwind of feathers._

"_What?" Xion sputtered in surprise, and skidded to a stop. _

"_Didn't they teach you anything in the organization?"_

_Her eyes widened in terror and she gasped once more. In the split second that she let her guard down, the figure had appeared behind her. Xion cringed slightly as she felt ice cold metal graze the skin on her throat and a gloved hand roughly grab her left shoulder._

"_Never let your guard down in the presence of an enemy- that should have been one of the first thing's they taught you." He sighed and shook his head slightly. "It doesn't matter though- when you come with us, we'll get you a real teacher; one that actually knows what they're doing."_

"_I'll die before I go with the likes of you." She spat, and gave him the best glare she could. _

_The figure growled, and then brought his face close to her neck and muttered harshly in her ear. "That's unfortunate, because eventually my Master will order me to retrieve you, with or without your permission. I came today in the hope that you would come willingly away from those idiots that dare call themselves 'the organization', but apparently you are too blinded by loyalty to see reason."_

_Xion was shaking with a mixture of fear and hatred. She had felt a slight hint of jealousy when he had mentioned loyalty, though she didn't know why. "Why me? Why is it so important that I have to come with you? Why not somebody else?"_

"_Our blood runs through your veins." The figure whispered, his warm breath sending shivers up her spine. "That is why we need you. You Xion, are one of the first Dark Angels to be reborn into the worlds, and we need to swell our numbers. _

"_So I ask you again; will you join us?"_

_She shook her head. "Giving me an explanation is not going to change my mind you bastard."_

_Disappointed, he leaned back, away from her neck. "I can honestly say I was afraid you'd say that. Just remember one thing- I let you live, and walk away with your freedom. I could have just as easily taken your life- and your power- for myself. Remember that, and don't forget that I __**will**__ be back to retrieve you eventually."_

_And with that, he disappeared and the blade and gloved hand went with it._

_While Xion fought to control her breathing, she heard the figure call out to her on the wind:_

"_Oh, and one last thing. Tell dog-boy to watch his back; and to keep a better watch on his girl." Then the voice faded away._

'Dog-boy?'_ She thought in confusion. _'Who did he mean by that?'

_Not hesitating any longer, she opened up a portal and stepped through. She was headed for twilight town; maybe an ice cream and some fresh air would help her clear her head and think about what had just happened._

_End flashback~_

Xion sighed at the memory. So many strange things had happened these days- first Roxas coming back to life, then saix starts to act weird- Roxas soon after and now this. Somehow, there had to be a connection. With that many events happening so close together, there was no way it could just be a coincidence.

Wiping cold sweat from her forehead, she walked straight for the bathroom. A hot shower solves everything- sort of like duct tape.

When she was finished and dressed again, she had the strangest urge to go and talk to Roxas. This was quite strange in the fact that both of them had distanced themselves from each other; neither one of them backing down nor giving up.

'_Well I think it's about time one of us stood up and be responsible.'_ She thought as she walked out the door. _'If Roxas wants to mope around all day, then I will confront him for it- he needs to get his ass in gear.'_

Xion walked quickly down the hallway and around the corner to Roxas' room. He had recently put up a sign outside his door that read: _'leave me alone.' _She snorted. Roxas couldn't pull off Emo even if he tried. Goth maybe, but not Emo.

Knocking quietly, she called out: "Hey, Roxas open up! I want to talk to you." She got no response whatsoever.

"Roxas?" She called again. When no one answered, she gently pressed her ear to the door. Light breathing could be heard from the other side.

He was asleep.

"Damn it Roxas!" she muttered in anger. She really should have waked him up, but right now, she just didn't have the energy or patience to deal with the cranky blonde. _'It figures the first time I want to talk to him in like forever, and he's asleep! Just my luck.'_

Turning away from his door, she started to walk down the hall. She still needed someone to talk to; Roxas was now out of the question, she couldn't talk openly to the superior- it was too awkward, Saix, if he was even here, would probably just walk away, and Axel, well... Axel was just Axel. That left...

She stopped. There was someone that was always there, someone that was quiet and easy to talk to, and someone that would listen to every word you say- just as long as the topic wasn't about you-know-what.

Her destination set, she opened up a dark portal and walked through as a smile crept its way onto her face.

She had felt like going to the library anyway.

**-Till November-**

Dismissing the dark portal behind her, Xion walked towards the large entrance that leads to the library. The frame was constructed of wood- the honey brown material contrasting the bland marble grey wall around it. Stepping through, the rest of the library was even better; shelves filled with books new and old rested against dark red walls that were accented by the small amount of moonlight streaming through the windows above the shelves on the back wall. Wooden floors and a dark green carpet gave it an 'earthy' feel- one that Xion personally liked. The room was quite small; it couldn't have been any bigger than the standard bedroom, and it was made to look even smaller with all the books lying around. There must have been more to it though, because she saw a spiral staircase leading up to a second floor on the left side of the room. Right beside the staircase was a large fireplace- there was no wood sitting nearby so the flame must have been sustained by magic. Looking to the center of the room, she saw two black couches facing each other on top of the green carpet with a small wooden round table in between.

Zexion sat at one of the couches in front of her, reading a thick book. His long teal bangs were pushed behind his right ear, making his face fully visible. Xion stifled a blush; he really did look better with the hair out of his face.

"XIV," He said with a quiet voice as he looked up, and marked the page in his book. "Can I help you with something?"

"Umm..." she mumbled, and looked down. She didn't really want to admit that she wanted to talk to someone; even if it was Zexion it was still awkward. Opening her mouth, she attempted to get the words out without sounding desperate.

"D- Do you mind if I... um... s-sit?" she stuttered out of embarrassment.

Zexion shook his head and put his book down. "Not at all, Xion. You look like you need someone to talk to anyway."

'_God, he reads me like a book...pardon the pun.'_ She thought as she sat down on the couch opposite of her teal-haired companion. He always was good at guessing what other people were thinking or feeling. It was possible that it was one of his powers; being a master of illusion you never know what to expect from him.

"So what's up?" Zexion questioned.

Too embarrassed to say anything, she stayed silent while fiddling with her coat zipper. In his home element, Zexion was very open with conversation. No one save for Xion really knew that because, well, no one else in the organization liked to read. She'd come in here from time to time after missions, and the two would make small talk. The subtle atmosphere was very relaxing.

He leaned back slightly, looking nervous and awkward. Girls were not always easy to talk to; especially nobody girls. "Do... you want to talk about it?"

"Yeah, but..." Xion trailed off, not sure where to start. The encounter with the figure on the bridge had left her shaken beyond reason; she wanted to know what he was, what his true intentions were, and why he had said that she was one of them.

"Zexion, have you ever heard of the Dark Angels?"

He crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side. "The Dark Angels huh? Mythical beings that have control over the keyblade... what about them?"

Xion's eyes widened slightly at the mention of a keyblade. The memory of cold metal being pressed against her skin surfaced, and she realized that the weapon must have also been a keyblade. "Um, not much. I was just curious. I want to know more about them, that's all."

"Are you sure that's all? You just want information?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Zexion looked slightly disappointed by this, but the expression was gone just as fast as it had come. "Alright then, follow me." He said, and led her up to the second floor of the library.

Obediently following behind him, Xion and Zexion slowly made their way up the spiral staircase. The second floor was much like the first; with a large green carpet, dark red walls, and shelves filled with books. The ceiling up here was higher though, and the windows were farther up the wall. Apart from the shelves, there was only a small wooden chair on the floor to their right.

Xion had never been on the second floor to the library, and she found this floor slightly cooler than the other, probably because of the lack of a fireplace.

"It's not much up here I know, but all these books have to go somewhere." Zexion said as he turned to glance back at her. "What do you think?"

"I think I'm going to be spending more time in here..." she whispered with a small chuckle. "It's nice. What kinds of books do you keep up here?"

"Mostly books for research and the like. There are also some old time classics like _Moby dick_ and _lord of the fly's_, as well as some poems and plays. In other words, the thing's that nobody likes to read." He smiled slightly at this.

"Cool."

He nodded. "So, the Dark Angels was it?"

"Yes. I want some information on them; just to satisfy my curiosity."

"Right." He muttered, and walked over to one of the shelves in the back left hand corner of the room.

Still curious, Xion followed him. He was scanning the shelves with intense concentration, apparently looking for a specific book.

"In case you're wondering," Zexion said quietly as he pulled a book out of the shelf before putting it back, "This is the section on mythical creatures. It has books about everything from pixies to werewolves, and then some."

"Lycans." She muttered before she could stop herself.

Zexion turned around, an old hardcover book in his hands. "Lycan; that's another name for werewolf. I didn't think you knew about that."

"I don't," Xion mumbled in surprise. She was telling the truth- she had never heard of the term 'lycan' before. Sure, she'd heard of werewolves, but not lycan. Why did it come to her like that? "I've never heard that name before in my life."

"That's strange- very strange." He said with a small frown, and stood up. "You're sure you haven't heard it before?"

"Positive." She said with a sigh. She was getting a strange case of déjà vu.

"Hmm. Oh uh, here's your book." Zexion held out the hardcover book to her and she took it, the leather cover feeling strange in her un-gloved hands. "It should have all the information you need in it; call me if you need something." And with that, he walked back down to the first floor.

'_What's up with him?'_ she thought, and then sat down on the small wooden chair.

Lifting up the book she read the title: 'The Dark Angel Encyclopaedia,' then promptly opened It. Scanning its contents, she came across a chapter that had information on the Dark Angel history. Getting comfortable, she started to read.

**Chapter 1**

**The History of the Dark Angels**

_Since ancient times, Man has been plagued by tragedy and disaster. Natural disasters like tornadoes and hurricanes were and still are a part of everyday life. These events are almost always accompanied by death, destruction, and diseases. It should not be a surprise however, that humans are plagued by the evil Dark Angel's as well. For centuries, they have preyed on the weak, stolen from the rich, and taken many innocent lives. Nowhere else in history has there been an evil like this, and if not for the courage of the Lycans, the entire human race would have been enslaved. _

_As if by accident, a genetic mutation triggered a change in a small amount of the human population, and these people gained the ability to change into wolf forms- the first Lycans. With the transformation came power and the individuals decided to challenge the Dark Angels for dominance. Threatened by them, the Dark Angels gathered a small army to wipe out the Lycans before they had a chance to pass on their powers to future generations. However, the wolves did the same, and the two clans met and the border between light and darkness for battle. The ensuing fight lasted for days, with almost every single person from both clans killed. Finally, when only the leaders from the Dark Angels and the Lycans were left, the two agreed to a truce. This truce entailed that no Dark Angel was to hurt a human, not even if it was in self defense, and the Lycans were not allowed to use their wolf forms for any reason. They also agreed that both of their existences should be kept a secret from the humans to prevent an uprising. Quietly the two clan's went into hiding, and peace reigned for one hundred years. _

'_Interesting...' _Xion thought. Flipping the page, she continued to read.

_Years later though, there was a freak accident. A young child with the lycan gene was bitten by a wild wolf, and transformed uncontrollably. Unfortunately, a Dark Angel witnessed these events, and it was passed on to their elders that the Lycans had broken the truce. Angry and threatened once more, the Dark Angels sent the other clan an ultimatum; that the rouge lycan must be sacrificed to ensure peace. Enraged by this, the Lycans refused, saying that their claim was unfair and unjust. The truce ended when the Dark Angels started to go back to their old way's too; raiding small villages and taking lives. They begun to attack the Lycans as well- killing from the shadows, and started to pick them off one by one. Fearing for their own safety, the Lycans fled to the sacred world called Sanctuary where they believed they would be safe. However, the dark angels had them cornered, and began a massacre through the power of darkness. _

_To this day the events of the massacre go unknown. It is believed that both sides perished by some unknown means, because there has not been a sighting of either clan ever since. _

'_Until now.' _Xion thought with a sigh. Flipping foreword a few chapters, she found information about anatomy and physical features.

_Dark Angels are most commonly known for their large feathery wings that come in a variety of colours and shades. These appendages are very long- some have been documented to reach over three meters each. They also live long lives- a different cell structure prevents them from growing too fast so they cans sometimes live to be hundreds of years old. They are capable of powered flight via manipulation of wind. Because of this, it is natural that they are very skilled in wind, as well as dark magic. Most of the magic they posses comes from their weapons- the keyblades of darkness._

Closing the book, Xion decided that she wanted to read it in her room. That way, she could be more comfortable, and do some research on her computer. Getting up off the small wooden chair, she quietly walked down the spiral staircase and back to the first floor.

Zexion was back on the couch reading his book, and looked up with a slightly confused expression when she walked past him.

"Can I borrow this for the night Zexion? There are some things in it I want to check."

He looked surprised. "Uh, sure. Just bring it back when you are done."

"Okay Zexion thank you!" she smiled and walked out the door.

Watching her leave, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. There was something up with Xion, but he didn't know what.

***breathes heavily* GOD that took so long to write! Gah! **

**So ladies and gentlemen, I give you not two chapter's, but one super loooong one! I seriously think this is the longest chapter I've ever written for this Fanfiction. Ha, that's a good thing. And I hoped you payed attention- this chappie was chock FULL of important little points and goodies! **

**Mei: "so if you're wondering where Roxas is again, he is on an extended vacation with Axel and Elvis in Hawaii. Lucky bitch. XD**

**Anyway, here are the reviews:**

**Thank you to: thanks for reviewing!"**

**AND REVIEW!**


	20. Broken

_***Edit: yeah, sorry the last chapter was so late guys- I was having major computer issues and could not connect to the internet at the time. And because the situation over here has changed, the new update day will be either Wednesday or Thursday. Sorry for the inconvenience!* **_

**Welcome to cooking with Roxas! **

**...**

**Naw, just kidding. Anyway, read people read!**

The first thing that I noticed when I woke up was the splitting headache.

Groaning, I sat up and put a hand to my sweat covered forehead, then promptly fell back on my pillow. The room was spinning so much it felt like I was on an out of control merry-go-round, and I was starting to get nauseas. i Closed my eyes and waited for the nausea to fade.

'_Great,'_ I thought in disgust. _'I'm sick again!'_

When the wave of sickness finally passed, I sat up once more. Something must have been very wrong with me; I just kept getting either sick or injured again and again.

'_It can't be a coincidence.'_ I thought. _'There has to be something more to it.' _

Glancing at my clock on the bedside table, I found out that it was about five in the morning, and that it was already Wednesday.

"What the...?" I bolted out of bed and stumbled over to my calendar. If it was right- as it always was- then I had been asleep for three days!

"I must be hallucinating..." I mumbled as I staggered back to my bed. There was no way I had slept for more than twenty four hours, never mind three full days. Now I was positive there was something wrong with me.

My stomach rumbled as I got dressed and headed down to the kitchen. Luckily, the nausea seemed to have gone away, so now my stomach was making lots of noise. I had three days of missed meals to make up for after all.

Once I got to the mess hall, I walked in and was relieved to find the room empty. By now it was almost six, and obviously Xaldin had not cooked anything yet. Deciding to make something myself, I walked into the kitchen and looked around for ingredients. I had cooked for myself before; this was not the first time. There were a couple of times where I was up past twelve in the morning and I couldn't sleep, so I came down to the mess hall and made a small snack. When I did that however, the scent of food spread through the floor, and eventually Demyx (who's room happened to be on this floor as well), would stumble in and ask for some. I'd happily oblige; cooking was very relaxing and I didn't mind making things for other people.

After some hesitation, I decided on scrambled eggs and toast. It was quick and easy- not exactly filling, but it would save me from coming back for a few hours, and by then most of the members would be out on missions. Taking out all of the necessary ingredients and utensils, I cracked two eggs into a bowl, stirred them up, added a small amount of milk, and then watched them sizzle as I poured the opaque yellow mixture into the pan. Almost instantly, the smell of frying food filled my nose and my stomach grumbled even louder. Gently, I mixed the eggs with a wooden spoon so they wouldn't burn, and then put the toast in the toaster.

When everything was finished, I cleaned up, grabbed my plate of food, and sat down at the table. As usual, I dug in.

"Whoa there tiger! Slow down! You're gonna hurt yourself like that!"

My hand paused mid shovel. _'Why, of all times, does he have to come NOW?'_

"Ah, that's better." The red head said as he walked behind me. "You know you shouldn't stuff your mouth like that Roxas; it's not good for your health."

"Leave me alone Axel." I muttered. He needed to back off. My hand clenched and the fork I was using was slightly bent by the force. I could feel heat rising to my face, and anger boiling inside of me. I was suddenly afraid; I had never felt anger like this before, and if Axel didn't keep his distance...

"Alright, I'll leave you alone," he said with a hint of sarcasm as he raised his voice. "But before I do, I want to find out why you've been acting like it's the end of the world for the last three weeks. Is there something your hiding? Is that it?"

"Leave. Me. Alone." I spat with a small growl between clenched teeth. I had begun to shake; I could no longer keep my body still.

He snorted. "Y'know what Roxas? No. I think you've had enough alone time to think over whatever you had to think of, and it's time to grow up!" walking over to me, he roughly grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. Bad move.

Something inside me snapped.

"I said, leave me ALONE!"

_Whack._

And before I knew what I had done, Axel was on the floor bleeding heavily from his nose.

**-Till November- **

Axel walked down the hallways of the castle, heading for the kitchen. He couldn't sleep; it was probably because of being overworked, stress, or maybe both. Normally he would sleep in as much as possible, but if you can't sleep, you can't sleep.

He had already taken a shower and gotten dressed- might as well get ready for his mission while he was at it. Once he was finished, he was naturally starting to get hungry, so he was now making his way down to the kitchen. Walking through the door, he saw Roxas literally shovelling food from the plate to his mouth. It was quite gross to watch.

"Whoa there tiger! Slow down! You're gonna hurt yourself like that!" he said with a small grimace. To his surprise, Roxas stopped eating entirely. Now that was a fluke.

"Ah, that's better. You know you shouldn't stuff your mouth like that Roxas; it's not good for your health." It was true- he could easily choke eating like that.

"Leave me alone Axel." He heard Roxas mutter. The red head frowned, and his lips peeled back into a snarl. He was sick of both of his so called 'friends' either acting all down in the dumps, or just being an asshole. They were both acting immature and he was tired of it.

"Alright, I'll leave you alone. But before I do, I want to find out why you've been acting like it's the end of the world for the last three weeks. Is there something your hiding? Is that it?"

"Leave. Me. Alone." He spat back. There was no reason whatsoever for Roxas to be this hostile towards him; or anyone else for that matter. Maybe there was something wrong with him...

With a snort, he continued to lecture. "Y'know what Roxas? No. I think you've had enough alone time to think over whatever you had to think of, and it's time to grow up!" walking over to him, Axel grabbed his shoulder and spun Roxas around to face him. This idiocy stopped _now_.

"I said, leave me ALONE!"

Roxas' fist came flying at his face faster than he could react, and it slammed into his nose. The force of the impact sent him flying to the floor several feet away.

'_Where the hell did Roxas get all that strength from?'_ he thought as he sat up and wiped the blood from his face. _'He did catch me by surprise, but that should not have been enough to knock someone like me over!'_

Roxas leaped towards him and hissed like an enraged cat. There was no hesitation whatsoever; he continued to try to punch, hit, kick, and even bite at one point. By this time Axel had gotten up off the floor and was at least defending himself.

There appeared to be no end in sight, so he decided to go on the offensive. '_So he wants to fight huh? Bring it on!'_

"Both of you stop it!"

Xion's voice stopped his fist before it could connect with Roxas' stomach. It seemed to have the same effect on the blonde; he had frozen as well.

The book she had been holding in her hands was dropped to the floor as she continued. "What were the both of you thinking? We are all supposed to be friends here, not enemies!" she took a couple more steps into the hall. "Friends don't treat each other like shit and start brawling out of nowhere!"

Ashamed, he crossed his arms. Xion put out some valid points; they were still friends, and this should not have escalated to the point of violence. Although, it was Roxas that threw the first punch. When he glanced over to the blonde, Axels eyes widened in surprise.

Suddenly Roxas looked extremely pale, and small beads of sweat were running down his forehead. His eyes were dimly glowing with fever, and they looked slightly glazed over. He looked like he was about to be sick!

"Rox- he tried to ask, but was interrupted when the blonde gasped and clutched his head in pain.

"Roxas!" Xion shouted in surprise and ran over to him, just in time for Roxas to collapse into her arms and pass out.

"What the hell just happened?" Axel asked in shock while Xion turned to face him. "I don't know, but we have to get him up to bed. The other member's will be down here for breakfast in less than a half hour and if they see them, they will most likely ask questions."

"Good point." He agreed, and was going to carry Roxas, but Xion stopped him.

"I want to carry him myself," she said as she shifted the unconscious teen onto her back. Roxas was almost a head and a half taller than her now, so when she walked, his feet dragged on the floor. "I want to at least be able to do something for him." '_And not feel useless for once.'_

Axel watched as Xion marched on ahead with Roxas' feet dragging behind, and stifled a chuckle. "Alright then but if you need help, just tell me; I'll carry him for you."

"No thanks." She said politely, and kept walking.

After Xion and Axel literally dragged Roxas up the two flights of stairs, he asked her a very valid question.

"Um, Xion? Why didn't you just use a dark corridor? We could have been there by now."

"I have not used a dark corridor because of the fact that the person on my back apparently gets corridor sick. And I don't know about you, but I don't want whatever he had for breakfast to end up on my coat, thank you very much."

"Right." He muttered and looked away.

Xion could be a real bitch when she wanted to, and that was a fact.

**-Till November-**

Ebony hair dangled in front of her face and tickled her nose as Xion continued to drag Roxas down the hall. He was much heavier than he was before, but then again, Xion herself was stronger than she used to be.

So in reality, he felt about the same as he did last time- like deadweight.

She sighed in relief as his door came into sight, and she walked towards it.

"Axel, could you open that for me? My hands are full."

Her companion sighed with a small nod. "That's what I'm here for."

'_I hope he left the door unlocked.'_ Xion thought. She was definitely not in the mood for breaking and entering at the moment. "Hey wait! Are you telling me the only reason your here is to open a _door_?"

"That's not what I meant." Axel turned the door handle and with an audible _click_, it slowly swung open. "What I meant was you'd need someone to open the door, and the fact that you might have needed help getting Roxas up the stairs. He's heavier than he looks now."

"No kidding..." Xion grunted with the strain as she gently lay the blonde down on his bed.

Behind her, Axel sighed and he closed the door. "God this place is still a pig sty. Doesn't he ever have time to clean?" he shouted as he kicked a stuffed papou plushie across the room and watched as it hit the opposite wall.

"Apparently not. That or he just doesn't care." She muttered, and pulled the blanket over the sleeping blonde. His face was so calm and content- it was as if the previous violence had never happened. Placing the back of her hand on his forehead, she found that he still had a fever. They were going to have to watch him until it dropped, so they were stuck here for now.

Moving over to his couch Xion sat down, and Axel did the same. "What do you think of all this Xion?" he turned to glance back at her.

"Of what just happened?" she pointed to Roxas.

Axel shook his head slightly. "Not just that. I mean all the other happenings too- like the first time you guy's had trouble on your mission. After that, it just went to hell with you guys."

She sighed and hugged her knees. "I don't know what to think Axel, I really don't. I've never dealt with anything like this before, okay? None of this makes any goddamn sense."

He had nothing to say to that, so he just nodded and looked away.

**So, that's the end of that chapter. And yes, Roxas just had what is commonly referred to as a 'blind rage moment'. I think he is the only one in this story so far that can actually pull it off too, lol. And FYI, that was another one of his symptoms. Just so ya know.**

**Oh, and one more thing. I only got three reviews this week! What the hell guys? I need my reviews! Where did you all go?**

**AND REVIEW!**


	21. Discovery

**Heey, guess what people? We are now on the twenty chapter mark! Yay!**

**Roxas: That doesn't mean that this story is almost finished though; we still have a LONG way to go.**

**Mei: Indeed Roxas, indeed. We're not even at the climax yet! No scratch that, we're **_**not even**__**halfway**_** through yet!**

**Roxas: I guess that's good news for the readers isn't it.**

**Mei: Once again Roxas- **_**indeed**_**.**

"Wait a minute Xion." Axel said as he turned towards the ebony haired girl. "Roxas is in no condition to stay here by himself; he needs to be watched. We both have missions today though."

She frowned. "Hold that thought for just a second." Xion said as she opened up a portal and walked quickly through it. Her book had been dropped on the kitchen floor, and Zexion would not be very happy if he saw one of his belongings being neglected. Exiting the portal, she scooped it up and walked back through the darkness.

"What was that about?" Axel asked as she sat back down on the couch.

"This." She waved the book In front of his face, and then put it on the table. "It's one on Zexion's."

"Ah." He said. "That doesn't answer my question though."

"Hmm. Your right." She crossed her arms. What were they going to do? One of them had to stay and watch Roxas; there was no getting around that. But there was still the issue of their missions. Spying the book on the table, Xion got an idea.

_Speaking of Zexion..._

"Stay here for a minute will you Axel. I have to go talk to somebody." She said, and got up again.

"I'm not a dog, Xion." He said with a role of his eyes. "And why am I staying here exactly?"

"_Becaaaaaause_," she mocked, "I have to go talk to Zexion."

"Why Zexion?"

"Because he's second in command, silly!" she smirked while opening another dark corridor. "And stop asking so many questions. It's getting on my nerves."

"Whatever you say Xion," Axel half heartedly waved as she stepped through the darkness. "Whatever you say."

**-Till November- **

Xion came out of the portal in front of the library. It was still early; there was a small chance that Zexion was still here. Walking through the doorway, she found the room empty, and the fire put out.

'_Okay then, plan B.'_ she thought, and opened up another portal to the front of the mess hall. Going inside, she found that Zexion was not here either, but someone else was.

"Hey Demyx," she said casually and sat down beside him, even thought it wasn't her seat. "Where's Zexion at?"

"Zexy? Umm..." Demyx put his spoon back into his bowl of cereal and crossed his arms. He had a strange way of calling all of the members nicknames, like Rox, Xi, Axey, and yes; Zexy. No one knew why, and to be honest, no one really cared.

"I don't know. I haven't seen him yet today, but there's a good chance he's already in the grey area."

'_Already? That was fast.'_ She thought. "Okay then, thanks Demyx." She said, and headed for the door.

"Hey, Wait!" he called after her. "Don't you want some breakfast? I can get you some cereal if you want."

She shook her head. "No, I'm alright. Thanks for asking though." And with that, she turned and trudged out the door.

Xion decided to walk the rest of the way to the grey area; she had already used several corridors this morning, and the more she walked, the more exercise she got, and the stronger she was as well.

So, she walked.

Once she arrived at the grey area, she went in and found that only one person was inside, and he also happened to be the one she was looking for.

'_Finally...'_

"Hey Zexion, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked as she walked up to him.

"I guess." He muttered and glanced around nervously. "Make it quick though. I'm not really supposed to be making small talk on the job."

She nodded in understanding. "Okay, here's the thing. Roxas had some sort of episode this morning and somehow he ended up fainting. He also has a fever and it doesn't look like he will be conscious again for a while. Axel and I agree to watch him, but we both have missions this morning. Do you think you could help us out?"

His eyes widened slightly in surprise. "He fainted? Where did you take him?"

"Upstairs to bed. We had to drag him there because he can't go through corridors anymore." She sighed and shook her head. "And I don't know what that boy is eating now, but damn, was he ever heavy!"

Now Zexion looked confused. "Can't use corridors?"

"Nope! Well, he can, but the last time he tried to go through one, he almost puked. He hasn't gone through one since."

He crossed his arms. "When did this start?"

"Three weeks ago. Right before I stopped talking to..." she trailed off. It was still a touchy subject for her.

"Hmm..." he mumbled. "Alright. I want to hear more about this later. For now though, there is the matter of your missions to solve." Searching inside his coat's pockets, he pulled out two mission folders; hers and Axels'. "Which one of you is staying at the castle?"

Xion frowned. She still didn't feel like talking to Roxas, let alone be in his room again. Although, if Roxas woke up and Axel was there, they might have a repeat of what had already happened this morning. So, there was only one option that they could take.

"I'll stay." It was probably safer for Axel outside of the castle right now.

"Okay," he handed her both folders. "If you're staying, then Axel will have to do double duty today. Make sure you give these to him."

"Right. Thanks Zexion, I really appreciate it." She gave the cloaked schemer a warm smile, and headed back through yet another dark corridor.

"Don't mention it." He mumbled, even though she was long gone. Under Zexion's teal bangs, his face betrayed the faintest hint of a blush.

**-Till November-**

Axel never thought he would be so glad to be back at the castle.

He didn't really mind doing double duty for Xion; it's just that her mission HAD to be in Agrabah, _and_ the target heartless HAD to be a Clay Solider, to which his fire magic would have no effect. Pair those with the encounter with Roxas that morning, and you got one hell of a bad day- unfortunately for him.

At the very least his own mission was in twilight town where the temperature was cooler, and the heartless were weaker. And apparently, more stupid too.

'_Damn thing ran right into me!'_ he thought with a small laugh. It had been one of those Minute Bombs- ramming him from behind and exploding when he was down. This had nearly no effect because of his natural resistance to fire. The missions were over now, and that's what counted.

He frowned. The thing with Roxas was still bothering him though. Never _ever _in his days as a nobody had he ever seen Roxas act this way. He knew the blonde. He knew how he acted; how he reacted and responded to certain situations, and this was not like him at all. There had to be something up with Roxas.

Axel quickly decided that he would look into the subject, and find out what was plaguing him.

Little did the red head know, someone had already beaten him to it.

**-Till November- **

Deep within the castle, Zexion was doing research. Not on something, but some_one_.

He was trying to find out what had happened to Saix, or rather, what he had become. His superior sense of smell had alerted him to the problem early on, but he had waved it off thinking it was some sort of fluke.

That was, until Roxas started to exhibit the same symptoms, and give off the same scent. He quickly came to the conclusion that the two happenings were linked in some way or another; this was no coincidence. He knew there was something wrong, but what surprised him was the fact that Roxas could not use dark corridors any more. Something like this had never happened before, so naturally he was interested. He would have to get more information from Xion later to confirm the reason why, but for now he researched. Zexion had already looked into old medical texts, health books, and even went so far as to search on the internet, but so far he had come up with nothing. He sighed in frustration. Either this was some sort of rare disease, or it was something else...

"wait." He muttered, and got up from the couch where he had been sitting in the library. Something Xion had mentioned had caught his attention; he wanted to confirm the theory that was now steadily forming in his head. Moving upstairs to the second floor, he crossed the room and stood in front of the same shelf the day before.

'_I wonder...'_

If his theory was correct then they had a situation on their hands, and a big one at that. Zexion's hand brushed the spine of a hardcover book as Xion's voice echoed in his head.

"_Lycans." _She had said. It was the short form for the term Lycanthrope. Pulling out one of the books from the shelf, he scanned its contents.

Suddenly his eyes widened and he almost dropped the book. The symptoms portrayed in this book were nearly identical to all of the things that had happened to both Roxas and Saix, right down to the scent.

'_Impossible!'_ he thought, and put the book back. _'They're a myth! They don't exist!'_

Clearly the written words were telling him otherwise. He could not argue with fact; the evidence was right there in front of him, under his disbelieving eyes. He did not know how this had happened, or even how this was possible, but one thing was certain.

Roxas and Saix were both werewolves.

**Oh yeah, I went there.**

**I totally went there.**

**Anyway, I once again hoped you enjoyed the chapter!**

**Oh, and FYI, it's now Thursday morning (in the story, not in real life) at the start of the next chapter. So that means less than 48 hours until all hell breaks loose! XD**

**AND REVIEW!**


	22. Relapse

**Mei: Roxas! Your back!**

**Roxas: 'Course. My vacation had to end sometime. So, how you been doing with the chapters?**

**Mei: *looks down in embarrassment and shame* Umm... don't ask...**

**Roxas: You got lazy didn't you?**

**Mei: Yeah. *T-T***

**Roxas: Ha! I knew you would be useless without me. You can't get anything done without my help.**

**Mei: Oh, come on that's not true! I did just fine on those first few chapters without you.**

**Roxas: Oh really?**

**Mei: Yes really! **

**Roxas: *laughs at own joke***

**Mei: Anyway, on with the chapta! **

_**PS: Beware hurley-ness (Roxas gets sick). **_

I awoke slowly to another headache.

"Guh." I grunted, and wiped dried saliva off my chin. My mouth was dry and it had a sour aftertaste. Everything was spinning again and I wondered why I was back in my room. The last thing I remembered was... was...? I couldn't concentrate. It hurt too much.

Suddenly, a powerful wave of nausea hit and my stomach violently heaved. Jumping out of bed, I rushed to the bathroom and made it just in time.

The convulsions that followed lasted for ten strait minutes while I puked my guts up, and I could only hope that no one would hear me. And of course, the headache only made this situation worse.

Why was this happening to me though? Was I so unfortunate that as soon as I came back to life, I got sick? Was I so unlucky that life just decided to come along and shit on me? Why?

"Why?" I moaned when my stomach finally settled down. I was so exhausted that I couldn't even sit up anymore, and I gently leaned against the cupboard under the sink to my right. My breathing slowed slightly.

At one point I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew I was opening my eyes to the bland yellow-coloured wall, and the smell of vomit.

'_Water...'_ I thought with another small grunt. Using the counter for support I shakily got to my feet and flushed the toilet. That was one thing I did not want to see right now.

"Ugh." I mumbled again. I don't know why I bothered to keep trying to talk, when the only thing that came out of my mouth was gibberish.

Carefully, I grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it up with water. Tipping it back, I downed it slowly so it wouldn't upset my stomach again, and left the bathroom.

As soon as I stepped out, I noticed the small change in temperature. It was cooler out here than in that stuffy bathroom, which was good because I was starting to feel warm; a little too warm actually. I guess this bug wasn't finished with me yet.

My feet were on auto-pilot as I tiredly walked back towards my bed, but then something caught my eye.

On my bedside table was a note addressed to me. I could tell just by the neat handwriting who's it was, but I decided to open it up and read it anyway.

_Roxas,_

_If you're reading this, then I have already gone to bed. I left my cell phone beside this letter on the table with the number for my room. Call me if you need me._

Looking beside my hand, I spotted the shiny black device. Why did Xion get to have a cell and I didn't? Shaking my head slowly, I continued to read.

_I need to talk to you. Something is up and you're not telling us things. Why do you stay in your room all the time now? You haven't talked to me in ages and I feel like you are distancing yourself from me. That's not healthy Roxas; you of all people should know that. And what happened in the mess hall? I've never seen you act so violently towards someone, never mind Axel of all people. Why are you acting the way you are? I need to know. This is important._

_Xion._

I hastily glanced back at the clock, but found that it was already almost noon. Xion would be long gone on her mission by now- it was too late to go see her.

Putting the paper down, I crawled into bed. I was still exhausted, and didn't have the energy to stay awake anymore.

Sleep dragged me back into the abyss.

Hours later I woke drenched in my own sweat, and once again nauseas. I quickly kicked off the sheets and peeled my t-shirt off, but I still felt like I was on fire.

"Uhn." I groaned. Through my half-conscious mind, I glanced over at the alarm clock on my bedside table. It read ten 'o clock PM. No wonder I still felt like shit.

Rolling over onto my back, I sighed. I had a feeling I was in for a long night.

**-Till November- **

Xion was tired.

Stepping out of the portal, she emerged just outside her room.

'_Why did they have to give me another mission to agrabah? Ugh, this should be counted as cruel and unusual punishment.'_ She thought with a tired exhale. Staying up all night to watch Roxas and the mission this morning had really taken a toll. The only thing she wanted to do right now was jump in bed and sleep.

She frowned. Something was still bothering her though, and surprisingly enough it wasn't the startling information she had found in the Dark Angel book. It was Roxas, and the fact that he was sick _again_.

For the last two days she had been worrying for his health- normal people didn't just keep getting sick all the time unless they has serious health problems. She had known Roxas beforehand though, and he was as healthy as you can be before the first accident. She had come to the conclusion by now that whatever had been happening to Roxas had something to do with him coming back to life. When he tried to discuss it three weeks before, she could clearly see in his eyes that he was lying. But why? Why would he hide something from her? Is it that he deemed her untrustworthy? Or maybe it was something else, something more classified...she sighed. All this talk of Roxas was making her miss his company. Quickly changing into something more comfortable, she grabbed a sweater and shut the door behind her to go check on the blonde. It was late, but on the plus side there was a chance that Roxas would be asleep and she wouldn't have to talk to him. That was a slim chance though- his hours of sleep were all over the place nowadays and she wouldn't be surprised to come in at three in the morning and still find him awake.

Arriving at his door, she lightly knocked.

"Roxas? Are you awake in there?" she whispered, not wanting to wake him up if he was indeed asleep. As usual, she got no response. Turning the door handle, she quietly walked in.

Instantly she was greeted to the perpetual mess that his room always seemed to be in- clothes of all varieties (excluding undergarments thank god) were strewn across the floor, computer chair, and his couch as well. Lying in his bed with the covers bunched up at his feet was Roxas. He was sleeping on his side with his back facing towards her.

She stopped beside the couch. An acrid smell filled the room, and it seemed to be coming from the bathroom.

'_Has he been sick?'_ she thought in concern while walking to his bedside. Gently she turned him over and found that he was once again covered in sweat._ 'No wonder he took off the sheets. He was probably sweltering under all that.'_

Xion lightly touched his face, feeling his burning skin beneath her fingers. "You just have no luck do you, Roxas." She whispered, and after a small pause: "I wish I could help you, y'know. All these things that have happened to you, to us- I wish I could have been of more help. I just feel so useless..." she trailed off, and the blonde continued to sleep.

She sighed, looking at the clock that read nine-forty PM. Looks like she was in for an unexpected sleepover here.

**-Till November- **

Once she had grabbed a pillow, a bottle of water, and other medical items for Roxas that she thought might be needed, she made her way back quietly to his room. Roxas was still asleep, and the clock now read one AM.

Getting settled, she sat down in Roxas' computer chair again, and was going to roll over to his bedside when something caught her attention.

Hanging on the wall above his desk, was the calendar Roxas used. Every day for the month of September so far was marked off in blue pen, with the exception of the twenty-ninth and the thirtieth- yesterday and today.

'_There's a full moon tonight.'_ She thought with a small smile. _'Maybe if Roxas is feeling better later we can go and stargaze or something...' _

Wheeling the computer chair across the room she grabbed her pillow, got comfortable, and fell asleep quickly.

**Yes, I know it's a crappy and short chapter- I'm sorry. Don't worry though- the action starts next chapter!**

**AND REVIEW!**


	23. Under The Moon

NOW FOR A RECAP!

_**Last time on Till' November~**_

'_**Has he been sick?' she thought in concern while walking to his bedside. Gently she turned him over and found that he was once again covered in sweat. 'No wonder he took off the sheets. He was probably sweltering under all that.'**_

Xion discovers that Roxas had been ill with some sort of sickness, and decides to sleep in his room to watch him. She also notices something else...

_**There's a full moon tonight.' She thought with a small smile. 'Maybe if Roxas is feeling better later we can go and stargaze or something...'**_

_..._that will change their lives_** forever**__._

_**September 30**__**th**__**- 5:30 AM.**_

Xion was jolted awake by the sound of coughing.

Wildly looking around, she noticed that Roxas was not in his bed. _'Where did he-_ the thought was interrupted by the sound of more coughing from the bathroom. _'Well that answers that question.'_

Getting up she stretched, and then walked towards the smaller room. Opening the door slowly, she saw Roxas hunched over the toilet. He had the dry heaves and as soon as they slowed, he would be sent into another bout of coughs. After several minutes it finally slowed to a stop as Roxas breathed heavily.

"Are you okay now?" Xion asked as she took several steps towards him.

"Don't... come any closer," he panted without looking up. "I... don't want you... to catch... whatever this is."

"Nonsense." She muttered, and sat down on the tiled floor beside him. "You need company now. If I get sick, well I'll just have to deal with that then."

"But..." he paused, thinking for a moment. "Are you mad... at me?"

She raised her eyebrows, surprised. "Mad at you? Why would you think that?"

Roxas wiped his mouth on his arm but still did not look up. "You were avoiding me... I thought you might be mad."

"No I wasn't mad Roxas," she spoke quietly and started to gently rub his bare back. "I just needed some time to cool down and get over things."

"Good..." he sighed, then collapsed to the side and lost consciousness.

"Roxas?" she squeaked in shock, and shook him slightly. He was out cold.

"Great..." she whispered, and slung his left arm over her shoulder. She had to get him back to bed- he needed to get his strength back.

Once he was resting peacefully, she sat back down in his computer chair and fell asleep almost instantly.

_**September 30**__**th**__**-8:30 AM**_

I opened my eyes slowly, not really awake yet. I felt delirious, weak, and or course sweaty. The sheets stuck to my damp skin, and I angrily kicked them off. Glancing to the side, I saw Xion lying in my computer chair. She was still fast asleep.

I hated to have to drag her into this, whatever _this_ was. She didn't deserve having to take care of me all the time just because I was sick, and I hated it. It wasn't fair to her! She already had to do missions everyday on top of looking after me! If she kept this up, I wouldn't be the only one that was bedridden.

I sighed. Why did nothing ever make sense anymore? I was beginning to think that this was more than some ordinary flu or cold; maybe there was something wrong with my body. Maybe I was... I paused.

Was I _dying_?

I shook my head. No, that was stupid. You couldn't die from the flu right?

My eyes started to close as I fell asleep again.

_Right? _

_**September 30**__**th**__**-9:00 AM**_

Xion sighed. She had just woken up again to Roxas sweating profusely. His fever had gone back up, and she quickly put a wet cloth on his forehead to keep it from going any higher. She had decided then and there that he was going to see Vexen when he was fit enough to make it down to the basement floor. This was serious enough that he should get medical help as soon as possible. In the mean time, she waited.

She knew she had a mission today, though. If she were to stay here all day without notifying someone, the other members would get suspicious. The last thing they needed was multiple prying eyes into their business.

'_Screw the mission,'_ she thought with a shake of her head. _'Roxas is more important than goddamn hearts right now.'_

For the next few hours, she watched as Roxas faded in and out of consciousness. Most times he would simply open his eyes for a few minutes without saying anything and fall back asleep, and other times he would ask for water with a horse voice. Eagerly she complied, dashing off to the bathroom each time to get him his drink.

By the afternoon though, his fever had not gone down at all and she was starting to worry.

'_He looks even worse than he did before...'_ she thought, worry now etched onto her face. Sweat was pouring off of him, literally soaking the mattress below. From what she had seen of them, his usual dark blue eyes were now glowing with fever and pain, and his entire body had turned a light shade of red. His skin was hot to the touch and his breath was coming in ragged gasps. She glanced at the clock. This had gone on long enough.

It was time to see Vexen.

_**September 30**__**th**__**-7:40 PM**_

Stepping out of the portal, Axel let out a sigh of relief. He had done double duty again today because Xion had not shown up this morning.

'She's probably still looking after Roxas.' he had said when Zexion questioned his reason for her absence. To his surprise the schemer fully agreed with it, telling him to make sure Roxas is okay if and when he got the chance. Having nothing to say to that, he opened up a portal and left for his missions. Now that he was done for the day though, he had other things on his agenda.

Like questioning Saix.

Back when they were both Isa and Lea, the two were best friends. They would always hang out together at the courtyard with a bunch of other people they used to know. They would get into a hell of a lot of trouble too- trying to sneak into Ansem's castle was just one of the things they used to do, though they got kicked out by Dilan and Aeleus every single time.

When they became nobodies however, things changed between them. Saix grew distant and cold, not at all like he used to be. Axel could still go to him for small bits of information though, and had even been included in some of the more important missions because of him. So, the most logical person to ask what was going on was obviously Saix.

But when he knocked on the bluenett's door, there was no response whatsoever.

"Huh?" he muttered in confusion. Where could he be? Saix was always in his room at this time of night.

"Hey Saix! Are you in there? I'm coming in!" not waiting for a response, he turned the door handle and walked in.

His room was in disarray- the bed sheets were clumped up at the end of his bed and appeared to have small rips and tears in them. There were pieces of ripped clothing and some other blue material on the floor.

"Is that...?" he breathed as he bent over to pick some up.

'_No... It can't be! Saix couldn't be a...'_

Turning around, he walked out of the room and almost slammed the door behind him. It was time for plan B- to find Vexen and make him explain to him what was going on.

_**September 30**__**th**__**-7:50 PM**_

Meanwhile, Saix himself was preoccupied with the task of getting as far away from the castle as possible.

'_**We cannot have anyone spot you or the young one when the time comes. Moonrise is coming. Keep moving.'**_

He suppressed a growl. _'Yes Aegis, I know.'_

Every night since learning of his spirit partner's existence, Saix would go down to the dark city to practice the transformation without losing control. Most of the time he had been successful; only twice had he given in to his beast side, and both times Aegis stepped in and took over before he could run back to the castle and reveal himself. He was positive that he could resist the moons power tonight.

Stepping through an alleyway, he came out into a large clearing with a tall central skyscraper to his left. This building was not like the others in the city- for one it was the tallest; its height rivaled by none other. It also had several large monitors that sometimes displayed a person's past, earning it the name "Memory's Skyscraper."

Saix went to stand directly in front of it, and took a deep breath.

'_**Are you ready?'**_

'_Yes.'_

'_**Then let us begin.'**_

He nodded once, and then bent down on all fours. Shutting his eyes tightly he concentrated on shifting, changing himself into something else. Feeling a hot pinch at the back of his neck, he flinched. This happened every time and it hurt, but he still wasn't used to it. Shaking it off, he concentrated harder as the warmth spread over his head first, then down his back, arms, and legs. His body shuddered suddenly then started to change; he could hear bones popping, skin ripping, and smell his own blood in the air. Yet he felt nothing but the strange warmth that surrounded him like a cocoon, shielding him from all the pain. The Change was coming faster now; his face lengthening into a muzzle, his ears moving to the top of his head, blue and silver fur grew from the mark on his face to the tip of his tail, and he almost tripled in size.

He collapsed on the ground hard as a wolf, panting as if he had run a long distance. The change always took a lot out of him, even though in reality the entire experience only took a few seconds.

'_**Now is not the time for resting, Isa.'**_

This time a genuine growl leaked through his dagger like fangs as he slowly got to his paws. _'I'm aware of that.'_

Aegis insisted that he would call him by his somebody name even when Saix told him not to. If there was one thing he had learned about his faceless companion, it was the fact that he was very stubborn. Turning around, he lifted his muzzle and gazed at the large heart-shaped moon above.

'_So what is your plan for this evening?' _

'_**At the moment, we wait.'**_

'_What?' _

'_**You heard me. We will wait for the young one and see what happens. It shouldn't be long now.'**_

Aegis was probably right, he thought to himself. He remembered him mentioning something about moonrise being at eight this evening.

Saix lightly pawed the ground in anticipation.

'_We wait.'_

_**September 30**__**th**__**-7:55 PM**_

After a long and tiring trek down to the basement floor of the castle, Xion had finally dragged Roxas all the way to Vexen's lab. By now his breathing had worsened, and his skin was slick with sweat. Things were not looking good.

When she approached the large double doors, she heard voices from the other side. Both were shouting so she did not have to listen hard.

"...have no idea what you are talking about eight!" Vexen's voice screeched.

"Bullshit! As soon as you saw _this_- Axel's voice paused for a second, "You looked like you had something to hide! You know something, now tell me!"

Suddenly Roxas started coughing again, and the shouting came to an abrupt end.

"Who's there?" Xion heard Axel call from inside.

"It's me and Roxas!" she shouted back. "He's sick again!"

After an exaggerated sigh from beyond the door, Vexen opened it for them. "What's wrong with him now?" he said in a bored tone.

"Use your eyes Vexen." She spat as she walked past him into the lab. Not having the energy to support him any longer, she laid Roxas down on the floor as gently as possible and then collapsed in a heap beside him.

"Whoa, take it easy Xion," Axel gently put a hand on her shoulder. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure myself," she said as she sat up, worry and fear evident on her face. "He's been sick for days, but it wasn't that bad until this morning. It just went downhill from there."

Axel said nothing as he stared into space. Without warning he spun around and glared at the chilly academic, who had not said a word since she came in. Vexen's face was a cold mask without any hint of emotion.

"You know something," the pyro growled slowly as sparks formed around his right hand. "You know something about Saix, about Roxas. There's a connection between them and this sickness. .it?" he spat between clenched teeth.

"You're not supposed to know." Vexen said after a slight hesitation before turning his head away.

"I don't give a shit!" Axel shouted, and the temperature around him heated up. "Look at him Vexen! He's dying! If we don't do something soon he will disappear and any hope of getting our hearts back will be lost. His existence is more important than some stupid secret!"

"It's not that simple Axel."

"No, _of course_ not," he hissed sarcastically and began to pace. "Nothing is EVER that goddamn simple!"

"Axel." Xion spoke in a soft voice.

Spinning around the red head opened his mouth to snap back at her, but when his eyes met hers his expression softened. "Right. Roxas comes first."

Walking over to them, he glanced back at Vexen and muttered: "I'll deal with you later."

"Hey man, are you okay?" he questioned the blonde that was barely conscious.

"Do... I fucking LOOK... okay?" he panted with a small grimace. Roxas looked like he was in a lot of pain.

Xion glared at Axel as if to say: _why the hell would you ask that question_?

With a quick shrug as a response he turned back to the blonde. "Okay then... where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere..." he groaned through clenched teeth.

"Ah...okay," Axel muttered nervously. He had absolutely no experience with this kind of thing. "Any ideas Xion?"

"Why don't you get him some water? He looks dehydrated." She said after rolling her eyes.

"Here." Axel handed her a water bottle that he fished out of his coat pocket.

Xion took it with a slightly confused look on her face. "Why did you have a bottle of water in your coat?"

"It's just in case I accidentally set something on fire," he said with his trademark smirk. "Got it memorized?"

"Uh, huh." She nodded as she turned back to Roxas. He appeared to be sleeping again.

"Roxas," She tried to wake him up, but he didn't respond. This called for plan B. "Help me out here Axel."

"What do you need?"

"I need you to hold his mouth open while I get some water into him. Can you do that?" she gave him a serious look.

"'course." He said, and then did what she asked. Carefully Xion started to pour water into his open mouth, but stopped when he started to cough again.

"Whoa!" Axel shouted in surprise when Roxas flipped over onto his hands and knees. He continued to hack and cough, which resulted in half the water he consumed coming back up on the floor.

"Roxas?" Xion questioned, and almost took a step back. She was getting really bad vibes from him, and it scared her. Something big was about to happen.

The blonde opened his mouth to respond, but the only thing that came out was a noise that sounded halfway between a growl and gurgling water. Hearing that from Roxas did not make her feel any better.

Suddenly he clutched his stomach and cried out in pain. To Xion it sounded more like a yelp from a dog.

"What the...?" Axel frowned and leaned forward slightly. Xion almost thought she saw a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"Stay back!" she unintentionally shouted. "I can handle this!"

"What do you mean you can handle this?" he went ignored as she turned back around.

"It's alright Roxas. You're going to get through this." Xion said in an attempt to comfort him.

'_**I suggest you leave while you still can!'**_

"Huh!" she jumped, surprised by the familiar voice in her head. _'Roxas is that you?'_

'_**No, Roxas is not my name but that's beside the point! You have to leave now! I can't hold him for much longer!'**_ the voice continued to shout. Almost as if in response, Roxas groaned loudly as his face scrunched up in pain.

'_Who are you?'_ she asked. Where was this voice coming from?

'_**Stupid...girl!'**_ the voice strained as Roxas howled even louder. _**'I warned you!'**_

'_What?'_ she shot back, but the voice did not respond.

"Xion! Pay attention!" Axel shouted from a few feet away. He was staring at Roxas with a mixture of fear and excitement.

Turning back to him, Xion saw his muscles twitching violently and his flushed face. She had no choice but to move backwards slightly or risk getting kicked or swatted. It looked like he was having a seizure!

Then, on top of everything else, he started to change.

At first she thought it was just her imagination making this happen, but she quickly realized that this was real. This was happening. And absolutely nothing could stop it.

The small star shaped mark on his chest had started to glow first, making his entire body shine with an eerie light. Then the scar he had gotten after wards pulsed as more fur grew out of it, traveling down his back and over his arms.

With a strangled yelp, his back arched painfully and his arms and legs began to snap and lengthen. They grew longer and thinner as his fingers and toes curled inward and formed massive black paws equipped with razor-sharp claws the size of her pointer finger. His body shuddered as more fur grew on his chest and back, and his head elongated into a gaping muzzle with bone crushing fangs. Somewhere in the middle of this his shorts had disappeared, but luckily she had not noticed.

The transformation finally complete, Roxas-wolf fell heavily to the floor and passed out.

_**September 30**__**th**__**-8:01 PM**_

Axel had to admit, Roxas looked cool as a wolf.

For the most part his fur was a light shade of brown; almost the same colour as honey and it was very thick around his chest area. The underside of his muzzle and belly was a heavy cream colour that faded into brown near his midsection. Three of his paws were jet black, the fourth being black with white spots that traveled halfway up his left front leg. There was also a dark line of brown fur that went from his black nose all the way down his tail. On closer inspection, it was revealed that there were very light stripes of brown fur that seemed to come from the stripe on his back. It was a very strange fur pattern indeed, but that's not what was going through his head right now.

"What the FUCK just happened?" Axel shouted, which made Xion jump from her position on the floor. He had heard stories of the Lycans but never thought he would actually see one, never mind that it was Roxas of all people. How could this have happened?

"No... Its, it's not possible!" Vexen spoke from behind them. "I tested him but..."

"What are you talking about old man?" Xion dared to say.

Vexen ignored her as he continued. "Lycanthropes... they do exist," he sighed. "This is a problem. This is a huge problem. This..." Vexen continued to ramble.

"Well," Axel said loudly to catch their attention. "I think that was the big secret, so now you," he turned to look strait at Vexen, "will tell us exactly what happened here."

"...I guess there's no getting around it now then." He said and pulled out a stool to sit on. "What do you want to know first?"

"How?" Xion asked without hesitation. Axel could see a burning rage in her eyes the likes of which he'd never seen before.

"The only way for him to have become this is to be bitten by another Lycan," Vexen said, his eyes never leaving the wolf on the floor. "You apparently also need to be born with the Lycan gene."

"Lycan gene?" Axel muttered with a confused look on his face.

Vexen nodded and continued. "Yes. It is a generic trait that is passed down from Lycan to Lycan and allows them to transform into the beast you see there." He pointed to Roxas.

"But he's a Nobody," Xion spoke up. "Isn't being a Lycanthrope restricted to humans only?"

"No, the evidence that eight brought proved otherwise. There is indeed a Nobody that is at the same time a Lycan."

'_One of us is a Lycan?'_ Xion thought in shock. _'All this time... I had no idea!' _"Do you know who it is Vexen?"

"No, but we have the evidence that points strongly to one specific individual."

"Whoa, hold on a sec," Axel was pacing again. "Back up. You said that Nobodies can be Lycans as well right?"

"That's correct."

"Then I'm to gather that the Nobodies somebody must have had the Lycan gene, right?" Vexen nodded.

"Then explain to me how we have a teenage Lycan on the floor of your lab that came from a teenage human!"

"You think I know everything? I'm still trying to figure that out myself!"

Meanwhile, Xion watched nervously as Roxas started to come to.

**Yeah, crappy chapter ending I know. My fingers are starting to hurt though, so I'll try to keep this quick.**

**Roxas is a wolf now! FINALLY! I bet that was the part you were all waiting for wasn't it? Well don't worry- him and Saix will not be the only Lycans to appear in this story. I'm not telling who though!**

**Oh, and I know there are people out there who are not reviewing- please review guys. I live off of them. No reviews= no story. I don't even care if it's a flame, comment, or otherwise. I'd love to hear from you anyway!**

**And one more thing- Do you guys like the date and time setup instead of the normal page breaks? Let me know if you want me to continue or you never want to see them again. XP **

_**PS: Happy Easter :D**_

**AND REVIEW!**


	24. Departure

"Um, guys? I think he moved."

Slowly the two fighting nobodies turned towards her, and then to the wolf on the floor. His ear twitched.

"Uh, Vexen? Do you know anything about what happens when they wake up? Cuz' I really don't feel like being mauled by a dog today."Axel said with a nervous glance towards Roxas.

"No I do not," Vexen snapped back. "Research can only take you so far."

"Well that's just great," the pyro said sarcastically as he took another step back. "Xion you should probably get away from him. We don't know how he's going to react, or if he's even going to be h-

"Don't you dare say it!" Xion spun around to shout at him. "Just because he's changed form's doesn't mean anything! He's still in there, I know he is!"

A sudden whine at her feet caught their attention, and three pairs of eyes locked on to the wolf.

Slowly the brown and cream werewolf got to his paws and surveyed the area. Xion noticed that at full height, he was as tall as Axel. He glanced around the room, then at Axel and Vexen with an almost confused lupine expression. Eventually his gaze turned to Xion and lingered there. She could see a spark of intelligence in the wolf's brilliant sapphire eyes, and that gave her hope.

"Roxas?"

For a moment, their gazes locked. Then Roxas snorted and raised his muzzle to sniff the air. After a few seconds, his ears folded back and he barred his fangs in a fearsome expression.

"What is it?" Xion asked and got to her feet. Something must be wrong for him to act so strangely.

Roxas had begun to growl, the powerful sound emanating from his chest. Without warning he bolted for the door, leaping over Axel and Vexen in the process. He slammed into the door behind and used his powerful shoulders to force them open. Once the way was clear, he exited into the hallway and ran straight for the entrance to the castle.

"Xion go after him! I'll catch up!" Axel shouted to her, and she dashed out the door in pursuit of the wolf.

"What do you thing she will be able to do?" Vexen questioned when she was gone. "If she tries to get near him she'll be killed!"

"Dunno," the pyro said, his back still to the academic. "But I do know one thing."

"Really? And that would be?"

In a bright flash of light and flames, two identical chakrams appeared in his hands and Axel turned around slowly.

"We have no need for you anymore."

**-Till November-**

I felt strange.

My entire body was tingling with a sensation that could only be described as excitement. My eyes were still closed though, but I could hear sounds drifting around me. Straining my ears, I tried to decipher what was being said.

"...do you know...what happens...wake...Cuz'...don't feel like...mauled..." came a voice to my right.

"...do not. Research can... so far." came an icy reply.

"Well that's...should probably... from him... know how he's... react, or...going to be..." the first voice spoke again.

"Don't you... he's changed... mean anything... in there... he is!" a familiar female voice shouted from directly in front of me. Confusion welled up inside. How could a human voice be familiar? Wolves don't talk to humans. Humans don't talk to wolves. This didn't make sense. I shouldn't be able to even know what they were saying anyway!

With a small whine, I forced my eyelids open and got to my paws. I had no idea where I was; I was expecting to see trees and undergrowth from where I lived, but that was not the case.

The space was small and cramped, full of meaningless human things that made no sense to my eyes. I must have been in some sort of human structure, because when I looked up, there was no sky. I was also not alone- three small humans were standing in the room staring at me. The first was very pale with blonde fur and emerald eyes. He smelled of icy river water with a hint of fear- probably caused by myself. The second had spiky blood red fur and piercing dark green eyes that held a surprising amount of emotions; everything but fear it seemed. He smelled like charcoal.

The third was female with jet black fur and sparkling blue eyes. Her scent was sweet; like jasmine and cinnamon mixed together and it made me feel lightheaded. Something about those sapphire orbs was so familiar, but I couldn't place it.

Suddenly my nose picked up another scent- something more familiar yet alien at the same time. Snorting to clear my nose, I lifted my muzzle and sniffed. I knew what it was.

It was another wolf.

_In my territory_.

Rage filled me and my vision turned red. I had the sudden unavoidable urge to challenge the wolf for this place- whatever this place was. I wanted it. He couldn't have it. This was _mine_ now.

Ignoring the human's shout of surprise, I leapt over the two males and slammed into the two flat panels that held me in. Using my powerful shoulders, I barged through to the outside. To my dismay, I was still indoors. Nonetheless, there was still that wolf to challenge. Bunching my muscles, I started running. I didn't need to know where I was going- the scent of the other wolf would tell me everything I needed to know.

After what felt like endless running in bland hallways, I finally emerged outside the immense building. Below me was a brick jungle of more buildings that went as far as the eye could see. Still following my nose, I trotted down the strange glowing platform and onto the black pavement below. The scent was so strong now, it was almost overpowering. It filled me with even more rage and hate, making me start to run again. Pushing my way between buildings, I came out into a stone clearing.

The source of the scent was a blue wolf sitting at the foot of the central building. He radiated excitement and stared at me with calm eyes. I was the exact opposite.

I growled loudly. How could he be so calm? I was challenging him for territory and the only thing he could do was sit there? I didn't care if he was twice my size. I was going to tear that stupid look off his face if it was the last thing I did.

The other wolf growled back and got to his paws. Instinctively we started to circle each other, each waiting for the other to make a move. I wasn't about to be caught off guard.

With a roar, I leapt for the other wolf, going straight for his jugular. In a split second, the blue wolf had leaned away, and my teeth crashed painfully together. Snarling, I turned and lunged again, this time connecting with the target. I had his neck fur in between my teeth, and I felt a pure sense of glee when blood filled my mouth. The other wolf turned and snapped, all the while trying to dislodge me. Each time I dodged out of the way, nimbly avoiding his sharp fangs.

When he started to thrash around, I finally lost my grip and was sent flying; though not without a mouthful of fur and flesh. Quickly getting back on my paws I spat out the debris from my mouth and snarled again. He now had a heavily bleeding shoulder wound and was favouring his other front leg.

My mouth curled upwards into a toothy grin. He was at a disadvantage.

Charging forward again, I nipped his bad leg, and then before he could react I darted to the right and lunged for his other shoulder. Using my claws, I slashed at it and blood sprayed out of the wound. Dancing backwards before he could attack once more, I licked some of the blood off my muzzle.

'_**Don't kill him Roxas!' **_

'_Why not?'_ I wanted to scream, but something held me back. And who was Rox...as? That name sounded familiar...

"Roxas stop it!"

Spinning around, I saw the female human running up to me with a calm expression. At the sight of her, there was a strange tugging sensation in my chest. I didn't understand. Why did I feel like this? Who was this girl to me? And why were all these human's calling me Roxas?

'_**That's your name! Remember who you are, or you'll be lost in this form forever!' **_the voice in my head spoke again.

'_My...name?'_ I thought in confusion. Wolves didn't have names. Humans did. I was a wolf, not a human. Or was I?

'_**You should listen to her.'**_

I hesitated. Should I listen to this human or continue to challenge the other wolf? Stealing a glace back, I saw the blue wolf sitting down several yards away. He was not aggressive and I assumed he wanted to finish this later. Sitting down I snorted. I wanted to find out why this human made me feel so strange.

"I know you're in there Roxas," the black haired girl spoke softly and took a few courageous steps towards me. "Remember yourself, remember me. This isn't you. Come back to me Roxas."

'_Come...back?' _come back to what?

How did I get like this?

I have nothing to go back to.

This isn't me!

I'm not human.

I'm something else.

I'm... I'm a...

'_I am me! Nobody else!'_

Memories suddenly flashed behind my eyes and my head pounded. I saw bits and pieces of things- a flash of blue hair, hardened blue eyes, a scarred face, people shouting, and blood spraying everywhere. But the thing that I seemed to see the clearest image of was a spiky haired figure in black.

Then everything went blank.

**-Till November-**

Xion knew that was Roxas in there, she just knew it.

She had run as fast as her legs could take her after the brown wolf, and had finally caught up to him. She had not expected to see another wolf however- This complicated things slightly.

"Roxas stop it!" she shouted to catch his attention, and almost immediately he turned around and paid her full attention.

"I know you're in there Roxas. Remember yourself, remember me. This isn't you. Come back to me Roxas." She spoke with as much urgency as she could muster. Xion had a feeling that she was the only one that could snap him out of this. If she couldn't help him, no one could.

Roxas hesitated and he started to pant. It almost looked as if he was fighting an internal battle- and losing it at that. Gathering up her courage she ran and embraced him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his fur. She didn't even care that his chest was splattered with blood; the only thing that mattered was him.

"Remember me Roxas. Come back. Please come back. I need you!"

Roxas whined and was still. _'X-Xion...what happened?' _she heard from inside her head.

'_I don't know, but...'_ she replied, still not knowing how this was even possible. _'Try to change back, okay?' _

'_I'll try.' _He replied and closed his eyes.

Slowly but surely, he started to change. He shrunk to his normal size again, his fur receded to reveal small nicks and cuts from the recent fight, and his arms, legs, and head went back to normal. He was left panting and unconscious, still covered in blood.

Gently she laid him down onto the pavement and stood up, giving the other wolf across from her a hard look.

"Did you do this to him Saix?"

He nodded with a snort. '_Who else could have done this? As far as I am aware, Roxas and I are the only Lycans on this world at the moment.'_

'_So you can talk to me in my head too...it must be a lycan thing'_ she thought to herself in awe. "Why?"

'_I had no choice.'_

"Everyone has a choice! Don't act like this isn't your fault!" she shouted in anger. "Explain yourself!"

'_Fine, but first...'_ Saix said calmly as Xion heard rapid footsteps come from behind. _'We have company.'_

**-Till November- **

Tired and injured, Axel sprinted to catch up with Xion.

Vexen had proved to be more trouble than he thought- the academic had put up a good fight when he attacked. Axel's arms and legs were now scarred with numerous cuts, scrapes and bruises; some of which were still bleeding.

"Damn..." he muttered and pulled off his gloves and tossed them out a window. They were of no use to him now anyway; the black fabric was torn beyond repair. Underneath, his scar's looked worse then they felt.

Quickly making his way down the glowing platform and into the dark city, he came into the clearing that held the people he was looking for. Roxas and Xion were directly in front of him; Roxas on the ground in his human form unconscious, and Xion standing next to him. She was staring at a giant blue wolf sitting halfway across the clearing, and he had a pretty good idea who it was.

"How did I know...?" he said smugly with a small smirk. "I knew something was up but I never thought... ha! I guess there are some things even I don't know."

"Axel what happened?" Xion asked in concern when she had turned around. Obviously she had noticed the aftermath of his fight.

"I tripped on the way down," he improvised and stepped towards her. "Is that who I think it is over there?"

'_Your ignorance surprises me, Axel. You should be able to recognize me even in this form.' _He said without moving.

"So it IS you over there! I thought so," Axel stepped past Xion and came closer to the wolf. "Why don't you change back and tell us what happened here?"

After a brief pause, his body shivered then morphed into a human shape. Saix was shirtless with a pair of dark blue pants on. His shoulder was still bleeding heavily.

"Before you ask, yes this is my doing but it was beyond my control. You do not know what it is like to be a lycan."

"Then explain to us what happened if it was beyond your control!" Xion spat.

"The answer to that is up there," he motioned to the heart-shaped moon above. "Kingdom Hearts has a strange effect on Lycans. On the night of the full moon, its power grows exponentially and the beast side of us can sometimes take over. This happened to me last month when I first transformed."

"That... makes sense." Axel spoke up. "But how did Roxas become one?"

Saix sighed. "When the beast took over the first time, for some reason it went straight for him. Roxas was badly wounded by it and I thought that the beast was going to destroy him. But right at the opportune moment when he lost consciousness, the beast just left. I still don't know the reason for its actions.

When the beast attacked him, some blood must have gotten into my mouth. That is the only way to explain it."

"So in order to become a lycan not only do you have to have the specific gene, but lycan blood has to get into your system as well?" the pyro crossed his arms.

"That sounds about right."

"Okay, that does explain a few things. A lot of thing's actually." He said with a small chuckle and uncrossed his arms.

"So what now?" Xion asked. She had knelt back down and was trying to wipe the blood off Roxas' face with her hands. "He's not going to be safe here anymore. If he transforms without warning again, there is no guarantee that the castle will be almost empty when it happens. We need to find somewhere else for him to go."

"And where do you propose we send him? The other side of the dark city?" Axel snapped back. "You said yourself that he can't go through dark corridors, and that's the only way off this world!"

"Not necessarily." Saix said from behind them. "There may be a way to move him to another world."

"Do tell." Axel and Xion said in unison.

"Just as nobodies can use corridors of darkness, Lycans can use corridors of light to move from one world to the next." He said as the two watched him in surprised silence. "I have managed to create a stable one before but because of my Nobody status, I am unable to travel through it. Roxas will likely be able to though."

"How is that possible? He's a nobody." Xion said sceptically.

Saix turned to her with an almost amused expression. "You of all people should have realized by now that he is no longer a Nobody. If you don't believe me, listen for yourself."

Curious, Xion leaned over his chest and listened. She could hear a steady _bum-bump, bum-bump_ from within him that could only mean one thing.

"He has a heart!"

Axel gasped in shock. "But that's-

"Impossible? Lycans were thought to have been nothing but a myth, yet here we are. Roxas and I are both proof that they do exist. As far as I am concerned, nothing is impossible." The blunette growled.

Xion sighed. "Okay, heart aside what are we going to do with him? What world are we going to send him to?"

"Radiant garden."

Axel frowned, turning towards the blunette. "Why there?"

"Because there are people in that world that may be able to help him, at least until he is able to travel back here on his own means. And also because that is the safest of the known worlds that I could think of." Without waiting for their response, he turned to the side and lifted his palm. A few feet away, an orb of light formed that rapidly grew larger until it was relatively the same size as a dark portal. Sparks seemed to shoot out of it at random.

"Get him in the portal quickly," Saix hissed between clenched teeth. "I can't keep it open for long."

Nodding, he took Xion's hand and helped her to her feet and together they dragged Roxas into the portal. As soon as they stepped inside, the sparks of electricity focused on them. It burned their skin, forcing them to quickly back out of the portal.

"Ugh, now I know what vampires feel like." Axel said sourly as he put out a small flame on his coat.

With a small sigh of relief, he dismissed the portal. "I suggest we all get back to the castle; someone would have felt that surge of light energy and we do not want to be caught at the scene of the crime." Saix said and set a fast pace back to their destination.

"Are you sure he's going to be okay?" Xion said, worry making its way into both her voice and her facial expression. She looked absolutely terrified.

"I'm sure he'll be fine Xion. Just go back to the castle and rest. I'll catch up." Axel did his best to comfort her.

Looking reassured, her expression softened. "O-okay then. See you tomorrow." And with that, she walked around the corner and out of sight.

"I take it Roxas held his own in that fight huh?" he chuckled and motioned towards Saix' still bleeding wound. "What happened to second in command?"

"Watch what you say, Axel. From what I see you had a hard time destroying IV."

The pyro's eyes widened in shock. "But...how did you...?"

"I can still smell his fear, the coward. You're coated in it."

"But...oh. Sorry, I'm not used to being around Lycans I guess." He roughly ran a hand through his ruby spikes.

Saix waved it off, and then continued walking as Axel followed alongside.

"So are you really sure that radiant garden will be safe? Someone might mistake him for..."

"We had no other choice. Sending him there was our only option. You know that, or at least you should." Saix said in his signature monotone.

"Yeah I know but..." he frowned. "It's just that all of our past is in that world. And now that I mention it, I think some of his past has ties to that place as well."

He sighed. "Indeed, but once again there was no other option. The only thing we can do now is hope for his survival."

"And in the meantime?"

"Lay low. Make sure that Xemnas knows as little about these events as possible. We do not want the entire organization hunting him down."

Axel smirked. "For someone without a heart, you sound unusually concerned for Roxas. Care to explain?"

"He and I are the same." Saix growled with fierce determination. "I no longer have a use for a heart. If I do not fight to protect my kin, what _will_ I fight for?"

"True enough." Axel said, and turned back to the looming white castle above.

'_Something bad is coming,'_ the red head thought with a small shiver. _'I can feel it.' _

**Sorry this is late guys. The computer's here were being stupid again and wouldn't let me upload. **

**And i hate to do this to you again, but next weeks is probably going to be a little late too; i have important assignments for English coming up that have to be finished. I'm still writing though, don't worry. You'll just have to be patient that's all.**

**Until next time; **

**REVIEW!~**_  
_


	25. Aftermath

I awoke to the steady sound of thunder in the distance.

Slowly I opened my eyes to a dark and cloudy sky above. I could hear and smell rain coming too, and I cringed when a drop of water landed on my nose. Even through all the cloud cover I could tell that it was the middle of the day.

'_Wait a minute...'_

That couldn't be right. The last I remembered I was still in the dark city and as its name suggests, there is no sunlight. _'I must be on another world,'_ I mused. _'But how did I get here when I can't use dark corridors? And why do I smell like wet dog?' _my nose wrinkled up in disgust. That was all I could smell now.

I just then realized that I was soaked. _'It must have already rained.'_ I thought. This made me wonder just how long I had been lying here.

A cool wind swept past, and I shivered. I had to get off the ground and out of these wet clothes or I was going to catch hypothermia.

With a grunt, I did my best to sit up from my position on the ground. I felt extremely weak, like an almost dead battery. What had happened to me?

Once I was in a rough sitting position I examined my surroundings. I recognized the area almost immediately; this was the same courtyard as in my dream, only the area looked more like a warzone. In the corners of the area where patches of flowers used to be, was nothing but dirt and garbage which I could smell already. Massive chunks of stone had been gouged out of the ground, leaving boulders everywhere. On the edges of the platform above where large elegant trees used to be were charred stumps. Most of the vibrant houses enclosing the area had either been damaged or burnt to ashes. Even the path up to the castle had been destroyed, leaving a gaping hole in place of stairs. All plant life here had long since withered away, but the smell of rotting vegetation was still heavy in the air.

I sighed. Only the stone entryway behind me was left intact, save for a few small gouges. This place was so different than it was in my dream.

Suddenly the hair on the back on my neck stood up and I spun around. Seconds later, several... creatures that resembled soldier heartless appeared. They were mostly blue with silver claws and black feet. They're glowing red eyes stood out the most, and they sent shivers down my spine. I had a feeling I had seen these thing's before. Quickly getting to my feet I summoned my keyblade into a backhand style. I could fight either way now and for some reason this felt more natural.

Immediately after summoning, the trio of creatures charged strait for me with their claws outstretched. Tensing, I waited for the opportune moment then let loose with a flurry of lightning fast blows. Light purple smoke enveloped one of the creatures as it was defeated.

One down, two to go.

Leaping backwards to gain some distance, I took a deep breath to calm my erratically beating heart. The other two creatures were warily staring at me from across the court; they must have thought twice about challenging me head on again. Taking advantage of the lull in the action, I quickly cast blizzard twice. One was destroyed on contact, the other was frozen solid.

Two down, one to go.

Moving my arm backwards, I then tossed my keyblade at the remaining enemy. The spinning blade hit the target, defeating it, then spun back to me like a boomerang. I easily caught it in my right hand.

I frowned. This had seemed almost too easy. _'Something is-_

My train of thought was instantly interrupted when far more creatures than before made their presence known. There were thousands of them!

-_wrong.'_ I finished with a cringe. In my weakened state I had no chance against this many enemies. I now only had one option- run like hell.

I turned and fled, dodging stones and boulders as well as flying creatures from above. I headed straight for the stone entryway, hoping that I would be able to lose them in the tunnel.

No such luck it seemed. As soon as I entered the tunnel they disappeared, but reappeared the moment I came out on the other side. The entire hoard of them was blocking the exit, and now I was trapped with nowhere else to run.

"Have it your way then!" I snarled and got into a battle ready pose. I was going to have to fight my way out.

Charging into battle once more, I started to hack and slash at any enemy that came too close. Pure adrenaline filled me and made me feel like I could do this forever and still not get tired. One by one, they were felled by my blade.

My mind was so focused on the fight that I almost didn't feel it; a sharp, stinging pain from behind.

Spinning around, I found one of the strange creatures spiked arms sticking out from my back. Blood oozed out from around its arm, and the pain from it was rapidly spreading to the rest of my body. It had poisoned me.

With an enraged cry, I severed its arm from the rest of its body, and then hacked it to pieces. I pulled what was left of it out of my back with my left hand, and gasped in pain when more poison got into my bloodstream. Already I felt my limbs getting weak and my vision was getting blurry.

"Shit..." I swore weakly when the reality set in. There was no way I was going to make it out of this alive. I had been beaten.

I fell heavily to the ground, exhausted. This was the end I guess.

"Fireaga!"

In a split second, every single creature was destroyed by an inferno of blue flames, and the area was filled with heavy purple smoke. Weakly, I looked up just in time to see a spiky red- headed figure before I lost consciousness again.

**-Till November- **

I wasn't entirely sure when I finally came to, but the next thing I knew I was lying on something warm and comfortable. Slowly moving my hand over its surface, I guessed that I must have been lying on some sort of bed or couch. A heavy blanket had been thrown over me and it was very warm. I opened my eyes and slowly sat up. I was indeed sitting on a large couch in an 'L' shape. In front of me was a small coffee table that had a glass of water on it, and I hungrily downed it while continuing to look around. The entrance to the room was to my left, and there was another door near it on the adjacent wall that led to a small closet. That was all I could see from where I was sitting.

"Finally awake, huh?"

Spinning around, I saw a spiky red haired girl approach me from what appeared to be the kitchen. There was no mistaking her; she was the same person from my dream as well, though I rivalled her for height now. My eyes narrowed in suspicion and I summoned my keyblade. This was more than a coincidence.

"Where am I?" I questioned harshly and pointed my keyblade at her. "And who are you?"

She smirked and held up her hands. "Easy tiger, I'm not going to hurt you; I'm a friend. Although, you might get hurt if you don't put that thing away. I don't like weapons in my apartment."

"How do I know you're not just saying things?" I shot back. "How do I know you-

"Save it kid. You woke up in my apartment after I saved your ass. If I had wanted you dead I would have left you for the unversed; they would have had a better time killing you anyway." She crossed her arms and frowned. Right off the bat she struck me as somewhat of a tomboy. I had a feeling I could trust her, but I wanted to make sure first.

I lowered my arm but didn't dismiss my keyblade. "You saved me? How? There were so many..."

"You were poisoned badly by one of the unversed and i gave you an antidote. I've been fighting these things for a very long time so I know how to handle them. You however, are inexperienced and rash. You're going to need a teacher in order to learn. Here." She paused to turn around, and then tossed a bundle of clean clothes at me which I caught in my left hand. "Enough of that for now though. The bathroom is the one in the middle. Go get yourself cleaned up, and then we'll talk."

Temporarily deciding that she could be trusted, I warily dismissed my keyblade and headed for the bathroom. Once inside, I peeled off my shorts and jumped in the shower. I was surprised at how much dirt I had collected just from the fight- my face, chest and legs had been plastered with it and came off me in dirty streams. When I was finished, I put the clean clothes on; navy blue track pants, a white tank top, and a gray sweater which I chose to leave off. Before I left, I examined my back in the mirror. To my surprise, there was no mark at all from where the 'unversed' struck me- it was as if it never happened. _'Odd,'_ I though with a frown. _'That wound was serious enough that it should have left a mark, yet my skin is spotless. This doesn't make sense.'_

Now that I thought about it, my entire body was feeling far better than it should. I felt stronger and lighter, almost weightless compared to before. My vision was sharper; every tile, every beam of light, and even every speck of dust I could see in incredible detail. Taking a deep breath I could pick up numerous different scents just from the bathroom, like flowers with a hint of bitterness- soap, something else that smelled strongly of mint- toothpaste, and multiple other things. As far as I knew, normal people didn't have these kinds of things happen to them. I guess I was either incredibly lucky or cursed for life, depending on how you looked at it.

Leaving the bathroom, I was instantly greeted by the overwhelming smell of frying bacon and eggs. My stomach roared in response and all questions were forgotten. Almost by instinct, I moved to my right and sat down at the large dining room table.

"You'll have to wait a few 'kay? These aren't done yet." The red headed girl called over her shoulder, and I nodded. In the meantime, I looked out the large window to my right. The apartment must have been very elevated because I could see over the huge stone wall from before. Behind it, I could see a large expanse of forest that was held back by the city gates- the apartment was very close to this gate as well. Everything was bathed in orange light- the sun was just starting to dip below the horizon. Night was coming.

Discreetly glancing behind me, I saw three doors- the one directly behind me led to what I thought must have been this girl's bedroom, the second being the bathroom that I just came out of and the third being the closet. Turning back around there was the kitchen area in front of me which had a small fridge, stove, and two sinks for washing dishes. There was a small island in front of it used for extra counter space.

"Hey," the girl caught my attention and I turned toward her. She placed a plate full of food in front of me and handed me a fork. "Eat up. You're going to need your strength for tonight."

"What for?" I asked, and picked up the fork and started eating anyway.

She just smiled and said: "you'll see." Before digging into her own meal.

We ate in awkward silence not only because I was in a strange person's house, but also because the only girl I'd ever had a decent conversation with was Xion. I didn't really know how to talk to anyone else. When we were both finished (I had finished first), she took both of our plates to the sink then led me to the couch. I sat on the opposite end from her, still being cautious.

"So," she said once she had sat down. "What's your name kid?"

"Roxas," I replied instantly, and then regretted it. I just gave out my name so easily, and to a person I had only seen once no less! "And yours?"

"Lydia. Remember that- I'm not going to repeat myself." She crossed her arms again, and I nodded. "Good. Now I think the better question is what do you remember about last night?"

"Huh?" I frowned, totally caught off guard. It was a very strange question to ask. And now that I thought of it, I didn't remember anything anyway. "I don't-

"Of course you don't. No one remembers their first shift easily." She sighed, and her eyes started to get a faraway look in them. "My first time was just as bad."

"My... first shift?" something about that made me nervous, and there was a small spark of heat from within my chest. I started to fidget in my seat.

"Yeah. Try to remember what happened. Look inside yourself."

Closing my eyes, I did what I was told. I started to remember from yesterday morning on. I could see bit's and pieces of things; brief flashes of memory that were in no chronological order. I figured that I must have been going in and out of consciousness then. Moving onwards, I remembered Xion taking me somewhere. I remembered pain; and lots of it too. It was so bad that I had been blinded and couldn't see where I was being taken. Then I remembered Xion putting me down on a tile floor- the cold was comforting but not by much. I was still in so much pain, and I was barely conscious. I remember Axel asking me if I was alright, and Xion. She was there with me the entire time, making sure that I was okay.

After that though, my memories came to an abrupt end. As in they were blank. Like there was nothing there. The feeling in my chest got stronger.

"I can't..."

"Try harder," Lydia prompted. "This is normal. I know you can do it."

I sighed quietly then tried again, focusing harder on the forgotten memories. I could almost feel them- drifting under the surface, just waiting to be recalled. Giving a mental push, I grabbed hold of the memory and pulled it to the surface.

I regretted it immediately as the hot spark in my chest grew into a raging inferno.

Everything came back in a flash; the painful transformation, following what I assumed to be Saix's scent, and the bloody fight that ensued. Bile rose in my throat as I recalled the pools of blood in my mouth.

With a grunt of pain, my eyes flew open and I found my body coated in a strange orange light. I had never seen it before, but I still knew what it meant. I was already starting to change- my fingernails lengthening into claws, my ears growing pointed, and my canines lengthening into fangs.

"I'm... im gonna-

"Not in my apartment you don't!"

_Whack._

Then, for the second time that day, everything went black.

**hi everyone! it's me again.~ **

**this week i ended up having more time than expected, even with final projects and assignments looming just around the corner. i found this chapter to be somewhat satisfactory because of it. **

**well, i hope you guys enjoyed it all the same!**

**AND REVIEW. you know you want to!  
**


	26. Into The Wild

"**Roxas!"**

**Roxas: what?**

**Mei: WE NEED AN INTRO!**

**Roxas: why?**

**Mei: cuz' we haven't done one in ages! Quick, think of an idea!**

**Roxas: *borrowing Sora's thinking pose***

**Lydia: *walks in* what' cha guy's doing?**

**Mei: trying to think of an intro. Can you help?**

**Roxas: *coughdisclaimercoughwedon'townkingdomheartscough* **

**Mei: what was that?**

**Roxas: nothing!**

**Mei: oh really?**

**Roxas: yes really!**

**Lydia: AGAIN guys? REALLY?**

**Mei and Roxas: YES REALLY!**

"C'mon kid, up you gets."

Groaning, I slowly sat up. I noticed immediately that we were in the middle of a forest clearing with several large boulders near the trees. My head was pounding and it felt like I had been kicked by a horse.

"What happened?" I said tiredly, and rubbed my temples. It was the middle of the night, but I could see everything in a sort of monochrome colour. Any small animals or insects that were alive were highlighted slightly against the dark area. The girl- Lydia- was crouched in the grass beside me.

"You started to shift; that's what happened," she said almost smugly, and stood up. "I'm sorry about having to knock you out but the last time someone tried to shift in my apartment, I had a very large mess to clean up afterward. I didn't want to have a repeat of that experience."

With a small stretch, she climbed up onto one of the rocks and continued. "That can happen sometimes though. When someone remembers their first shift, they can lose control. I should have anticipated that, so I guess it's my fault."

"But...how do you know all this? And why weren't you surprised when I 'shifted' in front of you?"

She smirked, and I could see a spark of excitement in her eyes. "What, you haven't figured it out yet? Man you're slow."

Crouching down again, she leapt off the rock. Her form shuddered in mid air, and by the time she landed, there was a large black and red she-wolf standing in front of me.

"Whoa!" I shouted, and instinctively moved backwards. This was one way to get taken by surprise I guess.

'_Oh, shut up. I'm not that scary,'_ her voice emanated from my skull and she sat down. I could feel her consciousness brushing against mine, and it was a profound feeling. I felt naked in my own head. _'Now it's your turn.' _

"Wait, what? My turn?" this was all going too fast. If she kept surprising me I was going to have a full on panic attack.

'_Uh, yeah. Your turn to shift. Let's see what you look like in wolf form; I want to confirm something,' _She snapped back with a small growl. _'Now hurry up. I don't have all night.' _

I shook my head, terrified. I was afraid to lose control again. What If I ended up attacking her like I did Saix? We may have just met, but I didn't want to hurt her. "Not tonight. Maybe some other time."

'_When then?'_ she snarled and bared her fangs. _'Our entire race is counting on you now to do the right thing. I was entrusted with the task of training you when the time came, and I don't plan on doing otherwise.'_

"What are you saying? Are you going to teach me how to be a lycan?"

'_Exactly,'_ she replied in a quieter voice, her expression softening. _'Though I guess you're right. You've had a long day and do deserve some rest.'_ Her body briefly shivered and went back to being human. "Come on; let's go back to my apartment. Hot coco on me."

Getting up, I followed with renewed vigour. What can I say? I love hot coco.

**-Till November-**

The next morning, Lydia woke me up bright and early to head back into the woods. I had slept surprisingly well on her couch; considering the large soft mattress bed that I usually sleep in at the castle. I hadn't had anything for breakfast though- Lydia told me that there would be time for that later, much to my dismay. I was used to a full meal as soon as I got up, and already my stomach was quietly complaining.

Swiftly exiting the apartment Lydia led me through the streets of Radiant Garden in the pre-dawn light. She said it was essential that no one see us or where we were going; apparently it was illegal to enter the outer forest. Or something like that.

We ended up climbing over the fence on the outer reaches of the city. I easily scaled it, climbing up it in no time and dropping down heavily to the ground on the other side. Lydia nimbly followed, also making quick work of the fence.

"Keep going," She whispered to me urgently, and motioned to go deeper into the woods. "It's too exposed here."

Nodding, I set off at a fast jog. Both of us wore no shoes- me because I had none, and Lydia because she simply chose not to. The trees and plants whirred past me in varying shades of yellow, orange, and red leaves, as well as the vibrant green grass beneath my bare feet. With every step my senses grew stronger- I could see farther, run faster, and smell everything.

Finally coming to a stop in the same forest clearing as the night before, I took a deep breath. The scents of the forest streamed into my nose, and I sighed at the simple pleasure in it. The crisp morning air carried the heavy scent of fresh rain, and the soil beneath my feet was slightly damp. Birds high above started the dawn chorus, and the branches swayed lightly in the breeze. I could taste heather on my tongue, and my bare skin tingled- this place was heaven to all of my senses.

'_So, do you think you are ready now?' _

I turned around slowly, already expecting the alien voice in my head. Lydia was sitting in her wolf form several feet behind me. In the morning light I could see her fur more clearly. Her neck, chest, and belly were all black with a flame like pattern reaching up towards her back. Her front paws were bright red, and her head all the way down to her tail was also red and her back paws were black like her belly. Lydia wasn't very muscular- she was more on the skinny side with a bushy red tail. She almost reminded me of a fox.

"What if I lose control?" I said nervously. I did not want to do this.

She mentally sighed. _'Look, I know you can do this. Even if you do lose control I will still be able to either snap you out of it, or defend myself until you come out of it. Just stop being a pussy and try!'_

"Okay, fine." I muttered, defeated as I crouched down. I really did not want to do this.

Summoning up my memories from before, I let the hot spark in my chest slowly spread over me like a blanket. My pulse quickened and my breathing hitched. I could feel the transformation coming and, terrified, I fled deep within myself to avoid it.

'_Pay attention idiot! That's exactly how you lose control!'_ Lydia mentally shouted at me. _'Don't shy away from it! Let it come to you. Embrace it. That's the first step.'_

I really, REALLY did not want to.

She didn't seem to realize that that the transformation hurt- and not just a little either. When I started to come out from myself, it felt like I had hurled myself into a pool of lava- swallowing me whole and burning my body to ashes. It just hurt _so much_.

'_**Hang in there, Roxas! I know you can do it!'**_

Just then the heat surrounding me faded a little and it didn't hurt as much. I could feel another presence in my mind, but I knew for certain that it wasn't Lydia.

'_**Don't forget that you're not alone here. I'll help you as much as I can.' **_

'_Who...who are you?'_ I called out. His voice sounded familiar to me, like a lost memory that I had just remembered.

'_**I can't stay. Call me when you need me again.'**_ And then the voice faded away.

'_Wait!'_ I shouted after him, but I was interrupted by the blinding white light from above.

I opened my eyes.

I could instantly tell that I was in another form, because my sense of smell, sight, and hearing had been enhanced even more. Slowly lifting my now fur covered head, I yawned.

'_That... that was intense,'_ Lydia commented in surprise from across the clearing and when I glanced toward her, I could see genuine shock in her green eyes. _'No one has ever had that hard a time with the transformation ever. Even Ven had trouble with his, but never this bad.' _Her eyes darkened, and I had a feeling that whoever this 'Ven' person was had been the source of painful memories.

'_Well,'_ I said and wobbly got to my paws, not used to my new center of gravity. _'At least I'm myself this time. I don't think I'm going to be hurting anyone.'_

'_Don't get ahead of yourself,' _she countered with a growl._ 'Just because you're fine now doesn't mean anything. You could still lose control at anytime.'_

'_What could trigger it?'_

'_Anything from getting too angry to the smell of blood. That's why you have to be careful.' _Lydia replied with a snort.

My powerful shoulders sagged. _'Outstanding...'_

**-Till November- **

Once I had gotten used to my new body, Lydia had suggested that I go to the river nearby and see what I looked like. Eagerly I complied, trotting off through the trees and taking in the sights and scents. Luckily the stream wasn't far- only a few hundred meters from the clearing. Padding up to the stream bank, I looked over the side and into the water.

Bright blue lupine eyes gazed back at me, and huge canines were poking out from between my gums. Lightly peeling my lips back to get a better look, I almost grinned in morbid satisfaction. They were _huge_.

Carefully twisting around, I saw my muscular shoulders, bushy tail, and the dark stripe of fur that went from my nose to my tail. Twisting around even more, I clumsily lost my balance and fell into the river with a loud _splash_.

'_Thank god it wasn't muddy,'_ I growled after I shook myself dry. Making my way back into the clearing, I saw Lydia staring at me with an amused expression. She must have heard what happened.

'_Smooth moves kid.'_ She chuckled with a toothy grin.

I growled back, and she got the message. _'What else are we doing today?'_

'_Well,'_ she said, and shuffled her paws. _'Let me put it this way. Most Lycans and their mentors usually start out with learning how to fight in human form and from what I've seen and heard from you so far, we can afford to skip that step. The next step that is taken is learning how to control your wolf side and making contact with your spirit partner.'_

'_And the third step?' _

'_Learning how to fight in wolf form.' _

I cringed when the memories of the bloody fight with Saix surfaced. If I could avoid that kind of fighting I would. Lydia's consciousness brushed against mine, and I struggled to bury the memories before she would see them. i felt naked in my own head.

'_We don't fight like that all the time you know. We only do that if we have to act like actual wolves.' _

My ears folded back in confusion. _'Then how _do_ we fight?'_

'_Like this.' _She said, and after a bright flash of light, a sword shaped weapon could be seen levitating inches above her back.

_No way..._

'_Is that a keyblade?'_ I breathed in wonder. How did she get one?

'_What? You're acting like you've never seen a keyblade before. All Lycans have keyblades- and have two different forms depending on the bearer. Mine is obviously in its true form at the moment,' _she took several steps forward until she was directly in front of me, then turned to the side and let me have a better look._ 'That's why you were able to identify it so easily.' _

It was a sword- I could tell that much just by looking at it. The hilt was an orange and red flame-like shape, and the key chain on the end was another small orange flame. The blade was a polished metallic blue colour and was shorter than my own keyblade. The tip of the blade spiked out to the side with several orange dagger-like protrusions. The difference in contrast really made the colours stand out even more and for the slightest amount of time, I was actually jealous of her weapon.

'_I prefer daggers or knives over swords,'_ she said matter- of- factually. _'And as you can see, it had been incorporated into my keyblade.'_

I poked the weapon with my paw curiously, being careful of the sharp edge. _'What's its other form then?' _

'_My blade splits into two identical daggers- though one is metallic blue, and the other is a dull orange.'_

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I just said: _'It looks nice.'_

'_It clashes with my hair and eye colour,'_ she growled sourly, and got to her paws. _'Now come on, that's enough for today. The real training starts tomorrow.'_

So much had already happened today that I was both scared and exited at what tomorrow would bring.

**okay, sorry for being so late guy's, but school is eating up most of my time. and not to mention A.N last weekend. **

**so sorry once again, but I'm probably going to have to keep on a two week plan untill the end of the semester. once summer starts though, i'll get back to the regular updates! **

**"AND REVIEW!"**


	27. Bittersweet Reunion Part One

The sound of beeping filled the large grey room as Xion slowly opened her eyes. Sitting up she stretched, then promptly turned the alarm off.

She yawned. Xion had had a rough night- thoughts about Roxas and whether he was okay kept her awake. It had been two days since he had gone through the light portal, and there had been no word from him at all. For all she knew, he could be laying injured somewhere, unable to move, unable to get help...

'_Stop it!'_ she thought to herself sternly. _'Roxas can take care of himself. I shouldn't be worrying about him so much.'_ Getting up from the bed, she headed to the bathroom to get ready for her mission this morning.

Despite trying to reassure herself, the feeling persisted throughout the morning, and by the time she reached the Grey Area she was feeling downright depressed.

"You okay Xion?" Zexion asked hesitantly when she approached. His dark blue eyes were haunted- as if something was bothering him and he was losing sleep as well.

She smiled meekly. "I guess you noticed then, huh?"

He chuckled. "It's hard not to notice when you walk into the room looking like a mini storm cloud. Let me guess; Roxas?"

Xion nodded. Yesterday morning, Saix had come to her door and told her to keep what had transpired the night before a secret. Instead, the three of them would act like Roxas was 'missing' somewhere in the dark city. It was a weak plan; but the only one they could come up with that fit the circumstances.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure he'll turn up somewhere. He's tougher than he looks," Zexion said softly. Something flashed in his eyes then- something that looked almost like nervousness- but it passed quickly as he continued. "Anyway, we should get going."

Her eyes narrowed and she frowned. "Going...? We? What do you mean?"

"Because our numbers are two short, the superior has requested that we go together on our mission today. I trust that this is okay with you?"

She raised her eyebrows. This would be a first- as far as she knew, second in command never left the castle. "Um, yeah sure! I don't see a problem with it. Where are we going?"

Zexion pulled out a mission folder from his coat and opened it. "Heart collection in a world named "Radiant garden". Xemnas has also stated that we are to be on the lookout for Roxas and Vexen- both of which are still missing."

Xion stiffened but said nothing. There was no way that Xemnas had found out where Roxas had gone this soon! She may not know much about Saix, but by the fact that it was his suggestion that the night's events were kept secret, there was minimal chance that he had betrayed them. And she knew that Axel wouldn't have said anything either, so who the hell told Xemnas? Or, was this just some sort of sick coincidence, and she was being over paranoid? Xion didn't know, but she was going to try her best to distract Zexion as much as she could during the mission. As for Vexen, well, they wouldn't be finding him anytime soon.

"Let's leave as soon as possible," Zexion continued with a grimace and put the mission folder away. "This world holds many dark memories for me and I want to get this over with in a minimal amount of time. Are you ready?"

"Yes," She said and fiddled with her coat sleeve. She had a feeling that this was going to be a very long and awkward mission. "Let's go."

Nodding, Zexion turned to the side and lifted his left hand, and a dark portal appeared. He stepped through it and, not wanting to be left behind, Xion quickly jogged in after him.

**-Till November-**

As soon as Xion stepped outside the dark portal and into the new world, she noticed immediately that the world was very bright, not just in the fact that everything seemed to be brightly coloured, but there was an actual sun in the sky as well. It coated everything in stunning white light- from the trees in the courtyard, to the massive fountains in the distance.

Xion glanced around in awe. She wasn't used to seeing everything in such crystal clear clarity. The World That Never Was had no sun, only moonlight and was thus plunged into an eternal night. Agrabah was the exact opposite- the sun there was so blindingly bright that one would generally try to stay _away_ from it. Twilight town was almost a mixture of both, with a bright sun, but forever bathed in twilight. Sure, the sunset was beautiful but after a while you'd start to crave for a midday sun.

And damn, that was one good looking sun!

"Xion _come on_. We do not have all day," Zexion nearly hissed from a few feet away. With that attitude, you'd think he was a vampire or something. "Everything will be here later, now _let's go_."

She trailed behind him with a frown. _'Geez, who pissed in his frosted flakes this morning?'_

Zexion led a brisk pace towards stone steps that led underneath the stone wall. The tunnels beneath were intricately carved and chiselled to form detailed designs on the rock and brick. Xion dimly wondered if Roxas had been here.

"So Zexion," she said to get his attention, "What exactly does the mission folder say, and what kind of heartless are we going up against?"

"A wide variety. There have also been sightings of neoshadows though, so be on your guard." He said tightly, his voice a monotone. Something was up with him today- he wasn't acting like himself. He looked totally stressed and on edge, and kept glancing behind them as if he feared being followed.

Xion nodded, but eyed his back suspiciously. Could the schemer be hiding something?

Exiting the tunnels, the duo came out on the other side to a brick path lined with fountains. At the end of the path was a fence with a huge expanse of forest on the other side. Suddenly her breathing grew heavier and her eyes widened. From deep within her, she could feel a presence. It drew her forward, enticing her to go into the forest and find the source. Her chest ached with involuntary longing and her gaze locked on the sea of green. Could the source of this feeling be Roxas?

"They're here," Zexion said from in front of her and summoned his lexicon as they reached the centre of the path. Shadows, soldiers, large bodies, and several neoshadows appeared seconds later, blocking their path. "Keep your mind on the fight Xion!" he warned, and then charged into battle.

Saying nothing, she summoned her keyblade and hacked through a shadow. Spinning around, she cleaved off the head of a soldier and slashed open the chest of a neoshadow.

"Watch out!"

Without warning, Xion was thrown several feet into the air by a large fist from behind. One of the large bodies must have approached while she was distracted.

Nimbly landing on her feet like a cat, she darted forward and slashed at the large heartless' legs and it fell heavily on its stomach. Leaping backward, she shouted to Zexion. "Now! Let's hit it with magic!"

"Right!" he shouted back, and skidded to a halt beside her. Baring his lexicon, it began to glow yellow and send out sparks. Quickly pointing her keyblade at the large body, she concentrated energy into the tip and it began to give off an orange light.

"Fireaga!"

"Thundaga!"

As the two spells shot towards the enemy, they combined in midair to form one larger beam of crackling orange light. It hit the heartless strait in the back exploding on contact and destroying what was left of their numbers.

"Holy-" Xion nearly swore when she saw the aftermath of the combined spell. Once the heavy smoke cleared, she could see that a large hole had been torn into the ground, leaving pieces of brick and dirt scattered in a five meter radius. She felt sorry for whoever would have to clean this up. She had never expected the spell to be that powerful.

"Wow," Zexion said in mild surprise. "That was some powerful magic Xion. Where did you learn to do that?"

She was about to respond when a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Turning her head sharply, she resisted the urge to gasp.

In the shadows of the other side of the fence were two wolves- one had vibrant thick red and black fur that was unfamiliar to her. But the other...

The feeling in her chest intensified to the point where her brain was practically screaming at her to go to him._ 'Roxas?'_ she mentally shouted, projecting her thoughts towards him. His response were waves of joy and relief, which she could also feel from inside.

"Xion?" Zexion questioned when she didn't respond, giving her a weird look.

"Oh! U-um... practice I guess. It comes with practice." _'Don't let Zexion see you! I think he knows something about you and Saix!' _Roxas and the other wolf withdrew into the shadows slightly, but didn't leave.

Zexion continued to frown. "What were you looking at?"

"Just the leaves. The colours are nice don't you think? All the red, yellow, and orange..." _'What are you doing here anyway?' _

'_I should ask you the same thing! Why would you bring him here when you know this is where I would be?' _

'_It's not like I had a choice Roxas! He brought me here for a mission!' alarm radiated from him then._

The schemer paused. "You were staring... at leaves?"

"Yes." _'I don't know how, but I think someone told Xemnas.'_

'_What do we do?' _

'_I don't know.'_

"...alright. Well we should get going anyway- I believe that was the last of the heartless." Zexion said, and turned to leave.

"Oh, okay." Sudden panic overwhelmed them both as she started to follow him.

'_Xion wait!'_

'_Meet me here later tonight. I have to talk to you!' _

'_But-_

'_Later Roxas. If I run off now, Zexion will get suspicious. Be patient.'_

'_...you promise?'_

'_I promise. I'll be back as soon as I can.' _That seemed to put his spirit at ease, and his mind withdrew from hers.

She shivered. Having Roxas close to her, even if it was through mental connection, was like having a space heater in the middle of a blizzard. She immediately missed his conscious, and felt cold and empty without him.

Reluctantly she let Zexion lead her back to the portal. Before going back through, she glanced behind her and back at the stone wall.

"_I promise_." She whispered, and silently stepped into the darkness.

**-Till November- **

"_Enter."_

_With a low creak the doors to Where Nothing Gathers opened, and a hooded figure walked in. He had a slim build, and was slightly short for his age. Fear came off him in waves, but the other figure- a muscular man sitting on a high throne above- paid no mind. His hood was down, revealing spiked silver hair, tanned skin, and piercing amber eyes. For a while neither of them made a sound._

"_Explain yourself VI. Why did you disobey my orders?" the man on the throne spoke after the pause, and put his hands in his lap. _

"_I wanted to confirm something superior. Something that could be useful to us." Zexion forced his voice not to shake. _

"_And that would be?" _

"_I've been getting readings lately of a spike in dark energy from the world XIV and I visited. I have not been able to track down its source from here, so I thought that an off world visit would be justifiable."_

_The silver haired man paused, mulling Zexion's words over for a moment. "And you meant to dress it up as a mission and take XIV with you. Why?" _

_Swallowing his pride, he continued. "I wanted to have backup in case things got out of hand." _

"_Did they?"_

"_No sir. XIV held her own in battle. I did not need to assist her."_

_Xemnas paused once more. "You have still disobeyed my orders though."_

_Zexion said nothing, and waited for the superior to continue._

"_Did you find out anything of importance on the mission?" He questioned with his gaze hard. _

_The schemer hesitated for a moment, and then said: "no sir." _

"_Then your punishment is to watch XIV and report back to me. She has been acting strangely of late, and I want to know why."_

"_Yes superior." _

_Xemnas smiled with satisfaction. "You are dismissed." _

_Nodding once Zexion quickly turned and left the room, leaving the superior to think about what the schemer had said._

_Once the door had closed, his gaze softened and he looked up thoughtfully. _

"_I wonder..." he mumbled under his breath. "Could it be her?" _

_Lightly shaking his head, he dismissed the thought and left the room in a swirl of darkness. _

**and HEERE I AM AGAIN. WELL.**

**sorry for the late-ish chapter again, but i had life to deal with. i am also sorry that this is a really crappy chapter for the same reason i guess. on the bright side, all i have left to do is two exams and then i'm FREE for the summer!** **YAAAAY! (that also means that i'm updating next saturday as well. YOUR WELCOME.)**

**And three last things before i go- **

**ONE.**** why arn't you people reviewing? i got one(technically two) reviews last time, and i expected more. **

**TWO. who watched the new show Teen Wolf last week? hell i sure did, and it was AWESOME.**

**THREE. just because you guy's like my story and that, don't forget to do your homework and stuff. ;)**

**"AND REVIEW!"**_  
_


	28. Bittersweet Reunion Part Two

**_yeah, about the whole: 'see you next Saturday thing...i lied. i got busy with life again. and swimming. and going to see Bad Teacher. and doing laundry. yeah. enjoy this long chapter!_**

'_So... was that your girlfriend?' _

I bared my fangs and fought to keep the growl in my throat contained. _'No, she's not. She's just... a friend.' _

Lydia and I were silently padding back through the woods to kill time. Both of us agreed that we should wait for Xion and Zexion to leave before heading back to the apartment. She had stayed silent through my mental conversation with Xion, and now I wondered what was going through her head. Gently I tried to probe her thoughts, but a mental barrier prevented me from hearing or seeing anything.

I almost sighed in frustration. I felt incredibly guilty- I had totally forgotten about Xion and how she was doing right up until I felt her presence with my mind. As soon as I did my legs drew me forward, back towards the edge of the forest. Confusing emotions had enveloped me and I felt as if I had to see her, had to see Xion. I started running and the only thought that filled my head was her. _Xion, Xion, Xion_... the single name passed through my head a thousand times. I _needed_ to see her.

Nearing the forest edge, I had skidded to a halt dangerously close to the fence. I noticed immediately that not only Xion was there, but Zexion too. This caught me by surprise.

Xion must have noticed the small movement, because her head snapped towards the woods and locked onto me. _'Roxas?'_ I heard her mentally shout. I was so relieved just to hear her voice that I didn't respond.

She said something to Zexion that I didn't catch, and then responded quickly with her mind: _'Don't let Zexion see you! I think he knows something about you and Saix!' _mentallyrelaying my intent to Lydia, we both backed up slightly into the bush. Now neither Xion nor Zexion would be able to see us- our fur colours blended in well with the autumn leaves.

Xion continued to carry on both conversations. _'What are you doing here anyway?' _

My ears folded back in anger and confusion._ 'I should ask you the same thing! Why would you bring him here when you know this is where I would be?' _

'_It's not like I had a choice Roxas! He brought me here for a mission!' _I jumped in shock. Now _that_ was more than a coincidence.

Straining my ears, I tried to listen in to what the two were saying but the slight wind carried their voices away. Snorting, I waited for Xion to respond.

'_I don't know how, but I think someone told Xemnas.'_

'_What do we do?' _what _were_ we going to do? And how in the worlds had our cover been blown so soon?

'_I don't know.'_

Xion turned to leave then and sudden panic overwhelmed me. She couldn't leave yet! She just got here!

'_Xion wait!' _I pleaded desperately.

'_Meet me here later tonight. I have to talk to you!' _

'_But-_

'_Later Roxas. If I run off now, Zexion will get suspicious. Be patient.'_

I hesitated slightly. I didn't like having to wait but if that was the only way, so be it._ '...you promise?'_

'_I promise. I'll be back as soon as I can.' _Isighed heavily and withdrew my mind from hers. I had already gone two days without being with her; what were a few more hours?

So now, Lydia and I were trotting slowly through the forest until sunset. More than once we had stopped for a break, but I was so on edge and impatient that I couldn't stay still for more than a few seconds at a time.

'_What's with the mental flashback?'_ Lydia questioned from a few feet away.

'_It's none of your business Lydia,'_ I growled back harshly. _'And get out of my head. It's starting to creep me out.' _

'_Then stop trying to get into mine! When I want to tell you my deepest darkest secrets I will, but not right now. You haven't proven yourself completely trustworthy yet.'_

'_Likewise. I don't even know anything about you and already I've spent a night at your apartment; soon to be two.' _

Lydia pretended to be hurt by my words. _'Oh come now, is that any way to treat the person who saved you from those unversed? I own your ass Ve-_

Ventus. She was about to say Ventus. But why? That wasn't my name, so why would she nearly mistake me for him? And why did it come to me all of a sudden?

'_Uh... moving on...'_ she said with a slight chuckle in an attempt to change the subject. _'That _was _your girlfriend right? Because-_

'_She's not my girlfriend!' _I roared in embarrassment. _'She's just a friend... who also happens to be a girl.'_ Okay, I'll admit it- I do love Xion. But I have no way of knowing if she would return the feelings, and I'm too chicken to ask.

'_Yeah, okay then,'_ She said sarcastically with a toothy grin. _'Let me know how that works out for you.' _

Eager to keep our conversation going, I asked:_ 'so do you come from here or did you come here from another world?' _

'_I'm native, as some people say. I was born and raised here, but I have been to another world with my father once.'_

I stayed silent for a moment, thinking it over. So she lived here, visited another world, and had family. For some reason this interested me, and I decided to inquire further. _'If you don't mind me asking... what happened to your family?'_

She growled, and I could feel sudden anger coming from her._ 'That's dangerous ground you just crossed onto kid. Watch your tongue or I could kick you out, prophecy or not. Don't try me- I've done it in the past.' _

Okay. Apparently she didn't like people asking about her family. I'd be sure to keep that in mind.

With a small sigh, she sourly continued. _'I don't like talking about it, but if you're going to be my apprentice then I owe you at least some background information. In exchange, you tell me where you came from. Fair?' _

'_Fair.'_ I wasn't expecting her to want to tell me, but it was only a matter of time before she found out where I came from anyway. There was no point in trying to hide it when your minds were connected.

'_Later though, okay?'_ Lydia said. '_We should head back to my apartment for a meal and a nap first- the coast should be clear by now.' _

I whined quietly._ 'Agreed, but one question.'_

'_Yes?'_

'_How do I change back?' _

**-Till November- **

After several minutes of backtracking, Lydia had led us back to the clearing. When I asked her why we had come back here instead of shifting In the middle of the woods she grunted something about 'not enough space' then ushered me forward. By now it was late afternoon and golden light from the sun coated everything. Hell, I could get used to this.

Once we had taken up our positions sitting across from each other, Lydia began to explain to me how to 'un-shift'.

'_It's really simple actually. All you have to do is think of the first time you shifted back and that should do the trick. Or, at least it should for now.' _

'_Uh, what if you don't remember your first un-shift?' _

Her jaw dropped open and she gaped at me. _'...what?' _

'_I don't remember how. All I know is that I was a wolf one minute, and then black. Nothing. Then the next thing I knew, I was waking up here with unversed hell bent on killing me. That's it.' _

'_Well jeez, that complicates things. You're sure you don't remember anything?'_

'_Only Xion's voice coaxing me back. Do you think that would work?_

'_Hmm...' _she looked down, thinking for a moment._ 'It's possible, and there's only one way to find out. Try to focus on that memory of her voice and use it to pull you back.' _

'_Okay.' _I said and closed my eyes. I started to focus on Xion's voice from the night of my first transformation, trying to remember how I changed back. A sudden sensation sparked in my chest then, but it wasn't the same as the burning hot from before. It was the opposite- almost like an Icy coolness that was slowly radiating outward. Painfully slow, actually. My concentration had begun to waver, and by the time the feeling had enveloped my head and front paws, it slipped completely.

I opened my eyes with an angry grunt. _'I can't concentrate long enough to shift.' _

'_Well at least you know how to change back now, yes?' _

'_Yeah. But what are we going to do if I can't concentrate long enough to sustain the shift?'_

'_I can force you to change back myself, but in order for me to do that I need access to your mind. Would you be willing to let me in?' _

'_Might as well. Anything you might see or hear I'll probably end up telling you about anyway. In other words, go ahead.'_

'_Alright then,' _shesaid and padded across the clearing. When she was directly in front of me, she lightly placed her muzzle on my forehead in between my ears. I closed my eyes and shuddered at the slight touch, though I didn't understand why.

'_This may feel a bit strange,' _she warned softly._ 'Don't worry though. I'll be as gentle as I can, but the harder you resist the harder it's going to be, so just relax and let your mind go blank.'_

'_I'll do my best.' _

Not hesitating any longer, she slowly began to push her consciousness over mine. My first instinct was to shy away but I resisted the temptation and kept my mind blank, letting her in. By now she had complete control over my body and could manipulate me if she wanted to. Unease made my skin crawl, but I had to trust her. She was the only one that could teach me to control this, and somehow I had a feeling that she was the only one that was capable of keeping me alive at this point.

'_**I'm going to shift you now,'**_her voice boomed inside my head._**'Try not to flinch. Let it come to you like last time, okay?'**_

'_A- Alright...'_ I said while struggling to keep my voice from shaking. It sounded so small and insignificant in comparison to hers.

With another mental push, she began to fill me with the same icy coolness as before. This time it spread much faster, enveloping my entire body in less than ten seconds.

Unlike regular shifting, un-shifting was far less painful and slightly comforting. The cooling sensation was a nice touch- in comparison it would be like jumping into an Ice bath with a high fever. Also unlike last time, I could feel myself changing back. My fur receded, I shrunk back to usual size, my arms and legs went back to normal, so on and so forth. When Lydia was finished, I was left breathless on my knees in front of her.

'_You okay?'_ she asked hesitantly while giving my left shoulder a light sniff.

I ignored her muzzle and replied between pants: "Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine."

'_...you're sure? You look kind of pale to me.'_

I looked up and frowned at her. "I've always _been_ pale Lydia. But to answer your question, yes, I'm fine."

'_If you say so.' _She said, and after a slight shudder went back to being human. "Let's head back to my apartment now. I'm getting hungry."

"So am I." I smirked, and on cue my stomach grumbled noisily. I hadn't had breakfast after all.

**-Till November- **

Eventually we arrived back at the apartment. Lydia made sure that we took a less used path back so as not to arouse suspicion, seeing as neither of us wore shoes. Because of this, the trek back had taken longer than anticipated.

"We probably won't have time for a talk then," Lydia grumbled as we approached the entrance. "We'll just have to eat then leave again."

"right." I knew I could expect to have that conversation afterward anyway.

By this time the sky had turned a deep shade of purple and the sun was just dipping below the horizon. Moonrise would come in less than forty minutes, and hopefully Xion would arrive sometime after that. Xion... I wondered what she knew about what happened on the night of the full moon. I was interested and wondered if I'd hurt anyone, besides Saix of course.

"_Shit!_" Lydia hissed suddenly, and then held me back from entering the building.

"What is it?" I whispered back.

"Damn, it's usually clear at this time of day." She muttered to herself, then turned and gave me a sharp look. "Listen to me. No one knows your staying here, and I'm not supposed to have anyone else in my apartment. There's someone at the desk inside- if they ask questions, just tell them that you're my cousin that's visiting for a while. And don't tell them your name either, you got that?"

"Yeah. And why only one person to an apartment?"

She sighed and stood up. "They're really strict on rules here, and there's nothing I can do about it."

I snorted quietly in slight amusement as I got up. This place was almost as bad as the organization, minus the black coats. Stepping forward, I gently pushed open the double doors and stepped inside.

The foyer was extremely bland- light cream paint coated the walls and ceiling, making the room seem bigger than it actually was. No posters or advertisements of any kind were on these walls- they were empty of everything. To our left were several rows of small metal lockers that were most likely for mail. Directly across from us were two elevator shafts (the doors were closed) and a stairwell in the left corner. To our right was a small desk that was partially hidden by the wall.

At this desk sat a man, probably in his early twenties that had short red-ish orange hair and a thin to medium build. He appeared to be fiddling with some sort of remote control when we came in, and when we walked by he looked up.

"Well, if it isn't my favourite neighbour! How's it going Lydia?"

Glancing toward her, I could see that her shoulders sagged in relief. "Not too bad, Leo. How's the dar- I mean, _radar_ _machine_ going?"

"Not so good, actually. The signal keeps getting stolen by an outside source, and I haven't been able to block it out yet." 'Leo' then turned and gave me a strange look. "And who's this? I've never seen him before."

"My name is Sean." I sad, thinking quickly. "I'm her cousin."

"Cousin?" Leo frowned and turned back to Lydia. "I never knew you had a cousin."

Lydia scratched the back of her head nervously. "It's kind of a long story. Hey _Sean_, why don't you go upstairs and get yourself something to eat? My apartment's on the third floor, number 32. I'll be up there soon." Fishing through her pockets, she brought out a key tossed it in my direction.

"okay." I said in a monotone and caught the key. I knew this was just for appearances- I could have used my keyblade to get in if I wanted to. Turning towards the stairwell, I started to climb up the steps, and then stopped. Maybe I could use my hearing to eavesdrop on them.

Sitting down on one of the stairs, I closed my eyes and started to concentrate. At first, I couldn't hear anything and I was afraid that I had gone too far out of range, but after about a minute I could start to hear voices clearly.

"...your cousin was it?"

"No. We're not even related." That was Lydia's voice. But what were they talking about?

"Then who...?"

There was a slight pause, and the next words I had to strain to hear: "he's like me. I found him in the outer gardens nearly dead two days ago. The unversed came close to killing him."

"The unversed huh?"Leo paused. "How many of them were there this time?"

"Anywhere from seven hundred to a thousand."

"A th-thousand! But why would so many of them go after him all at once?"

They were talking about me, I realized. I hoped then that this 'Leo' guy was someone that we could trust. "I'm still trying to figure that out myself. Normally they only attack in small groups, but _this_... this required planning."

"What are you saying Lydia? Do you think...?"

"Yeah. Someone must have planned the attack. The problem is, someone would need incredible powers of darkness just to control that many at one time. And I know only one creature that can do that."

"Shit..." Leo swore. "And that's why you want me to finish the darkness radar as soon as possible I'm guessing."

"Precisely. If we can detect them and find out where their stronghold is, we'll have the advantage and the best chance of winning. And if we don't, then we'll all be plunged into darkness. Again."

Shivering, I opened my eyes and slowly started to climb up the stairs. Somehow I got the feeling that I'd been dragged into some sort of conflict. And when Lydia mentioned 'powers of darkness,' the memory of me getting my heart back and the legend all came flowing back.

As I put the key into the lock on Lydia's door, I couldn't stop my hands and my breath from shaking. I felt scared, more so then I ever had been in my life. More than when I thought Xion had been killed, more then when I was being chased by saix, and more then I had when all those unversed were standing in my way and wanting to kill me.

Closing the door behind me, I walked over to the couch and collapsed on it. I didn't want to fight, let alone fight someone with minimal chance of winning. This stupid prophecy was the source to all of my problems and I wanted out, I wanted to escape. But if what they were saying down there was true, then I was the target of these creatures. I needed protection from someone, at least until I could fight and defeat them on my own. For the time being, I was stuck with Lydia.

Sometime later she walked in, took one look at me, and said "didn't you eat anything?"

"Not hungry." I lied. After hearing all that, there was no way I could stomach anything anyway.

"Suit yourself." She shrugged, and grabbed an apple from the kitchen counter. Taking a bite from it, she walked out the door again and I followed. On the way there thoughts of Xion filled my mind, and blocked out the dark thoughts of the future.

**so once again i apologize for the lateness. but at least it's here now right? **

**anyway, about these reviews guys... I'm not impressed. i'd like at least three before i post the next chapter okay? until then, adios!**

**and P.S: i'm splitting bittersweet reunion into three chapters cuz i ran out of time.  
**

**"AND F*CKING REVIEW!"**


	29. Bittersweet Reunion Part Three

**AHEM.**

**Please excuse the random authors note in the middle of the chapter- you'll know when you see it. **

**Thank you for your time. XD**

Back at the castle, Xion was preparing to leave for Radiant garden again to meet with Roxas. And by preparing to leave, she meant eating dinner in the mess hall.

And telling her morning experience to Saix.

"...And now I'm going back to talk to him and get his side of the story," spooning another mouthful of pasta and tomato sauce into her mouth, she chewed then swallowed. "I want to ask him about the other wolf too."

Saix, who was sitting across from her at the table, crossed his arms and smiled almost warmly. "It's good to hear that he is safe for the time being. I have to wonder about the other wolf though... the way you described her sounds familiar."

Glancing around the empty room hesitantly, she leaned in closer and whispered, "Do you think she could be a Lycan too?"

Saix nodded impassively. "I am almost positive that she is. If there is one think I know about Lycans, it is that we have unusual fur colours. Look at me for an example- you do not see wild wolves with blue fur do you?"

"No, I guess not," Xion sighed and sat back. "Speaking of which, I read that all Lycans are supposed to have keyblades. Have you tried to summon yours yet?"

She had expected Saix to be surprised by her statement, but his expression remained as hard as ever. "Not yet. Somehow I feel as if I am not ready for it, like I have not earned the right to bear it."

Xion stayed silent, not sure how to respond to that. Even though she had a keyblade herself, she was technically 'born' with it. There was nothing she could say that could help him- the book on Lycans that she had found at the library yesterday could only tell you so much.

"Well, I'd better get going," she said, and got up to throw her plate away. "I wouldn't want to keep him waiting."

The blunette stayed silent for several seconds, and then called back to her: "Xion wait."

Stopping and looking over her shoulder, she gave him a sour look. "What, you want me to take your plate too? Get up and take it yourself you lazy-

"Not that," he said with a small chuckle of amusement, and got up anyway. "I just want to give you a warning before you leave."

Xion's expression softened into one of confusion as she threw her plate away. "A warning? What for?"

"For the enemies you're likely to face," Saix said with his expression grim. "I've been feeling a rise in darkness through Roxas and I worry for all of our safeties."

"Through Roxas? But he's-

"On another world, I know. I think it has something to do with the fact that I was the one to change him."

Xion's confused expression quickly changed into nervousness and she replied with a nervous giggle. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Saix nodded. "Yes. Watch yourself out there Xion. We would not want you to get hurt.

"And one more thing," he said as he fished through his pockets, and pulled out something spherical and placed it in her hand.

On her palm was a small, glowing blue stone that was shaped like a hexagon. She could feel powerful magical energy coming from it.

"An elixir?" Xion said, pocketing the small stone.

"It is not much, but I have a feeling that you will need it more than me. And I believe that I will not have a use for it anytime soon anyway."

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded and smiled. "Thanks Saix. I'll be sure to tell Roxas you said hello, and watch out for any heartless on steroids."

"Don't stay too long though. We don't want the other members to get suspicious."

She nodded again and headed for the door. "Right. Only an hour or so, if that. Bye!"

With one last glance behind her, she waved to the blunette and walked out the door.

Several minutes later, Xion was back at her room, gathering any extra supplies she might need. Thing's such as hi potions, panaceas, spare bottles of water, tampons, etcetera. After only a few minutes, she was done and was walking out the door or in this case portal, to Radiant garden.

Coming out on the other side, she looked around the outer gardens with a suspicious eye. There was no one else around, and it looked like it was going to stay that way until morning.

Glancing up at the dark purple sky, she saw the sun nearly enveloped by the horizon, and the first evidence of stars was beginning to appear. Even now the sky was breathtaking, and she couldn't wait for the rest of the stars to come out. After all, the sky of The World That Never Was was nearly always too cloudy too see the stars. But here, the sky was completely cloudless and offered a very clear view of the heavens.

Walking towards the central fountain, she sat down on the ground beside it and turned her gaze to the massive expanse of forest before her. Roxas and his unknown companion were obviously not here yet, but Xion would wait all night if she had to. She wanted to see him more than anything right now, and she missed his company.

'_I'm not going back until I at least talk to him,' _she thought to herself while fingering the elixir in her pocket. _'I'm desperate to know what he's been up to.'_

**-Till November-**

You'd think by now that I'd always watched where I walked, with my record of tripping or falling down in important situations but apparently I haven't learned a thing. While we were walking back towards the outer gardens I seemed to memorize every crack, nick, and scrape in the pavement, every speck of dirt and every piece of trash. That's what it _looked_ like, but that wasn't the truth.

The truth was that I was depressed about what I have overheard, and even thoughts of Xion couldn't overthrow it at this point. And to top it all off, Lydia noticed.

"You'd better keep your head up or you're going to bang into something." She piped up from beside me. We were taking the back alleys again, and the streets were thin and dirty. Dumpsters lined them, and if I hadn't looked up I probably would have walked into one of them right then and there.

I tilted my head up and continued to walk, but Lydia was still giving me a half annoyed, half worried look.

"What?"I snapped. Her green gaze was piercing, and I wondered whether she could still get into my mind in human form.

Her gaze hardened slightly. "Something's bothering you. What is it?"

'_Geez, way to be blunt Lydia.'_ I thought with a small grimace. She never was one for being subtle. "Nothing's bothering me. In fact, I'm excited to go see Xion."

"Oh really? Then why are you thinking about the future?"

I froze, and did my best to hide the shock. Could she really be able to get into my head? "Y- Your bluffing!"

She glared at me for a couple seconds before laughing and putting her hands behind her head in a relaxed pose. "Yeah, I was bluffing. Seriously though, what's up? You've been acting gloomy all evening."

I sighed heavily, and then frowned. What would I tell her? Revealing the fact that I eavesdropped on her and Leo would no doubt upset her, but if I waited until later she would find out anyway.

_Might as well get it over with..._

But before I could open my mouth to respond, Lydia guessed exactly what was getting me down.

"You overheard Leo and I talking didn't you?" she said, and I could almost see sympathy in her eyes. I nodded sheepishly as my face turned a light shade of pink- I had been caught.

She frowned and rubbed her temples. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough." I said simply. Enough to make me start shaking in fear, that is. "Who were you talking about when you mentioned the attack, and why didn't you tell me about all this earlier?"

"You have to understand that some things are better left unsaid," Lydia sighed and shook her head. "I didn't want to scare you."

Suddenly, a presence seemed to well up inside me and for a moment I couldn't control my voice. Words that were not my own flew from my mouth and I shouted at her.

"That's no reason to keep information from me! I'm not a kid anymore! Not just my life, but all of our lives are at stake here and I want to be able to help! You can't just tell me to sit on the sidelines!"

There was a brief look of shock in her eyes before she shook it off and responded quietly: "I think we should talk about this later. You need to-

"NO!" I roared and lashed out at the nearest wall, leaving a small crater in the brick. "No more excuses, no more lies, no more secrets! Tell me what's going on right now, or I'll make you tell me!" Flicking my right hand out, I summoned my keyblade. I was in no way joking around.

Lydia's gaze hardened and she snarled. "You want to know the truth? Fine. I'll tell you the truth. The truth is that we are on the brink of extinction and our sworn enemies are literally coming back to haunt us. They want to wipe us off the face of the worlds so that we can't stop them from taking over again. If they take over, they'll plunge the entire universe into darkness, and the Realm of Light will merge with the Realm of Darkness. We will all either cease to exist, or be stuck as heartless for the rest of our lives.

"And the only one that can stop this," she continued with a harsh glare, "Is _you_."

"But why me? Why did I have to get chosen and get my life screwed over? It isn't fair!"

Bringing her arm backward, she then threw it forward and punched me square in the chest. The impact was far more powerful then I thought it was going to be, and I was sent flying into one of the nearby dumpsters. If I had known beforehand I would have blocked her strike with my keyblade before it disappeared.

Apparently not finished, Lydia stomped over to me and, roughly hauling me to my feet, proceeded to slam me against the dumpster. "_Life_ isn't fair," she spat into my face. "I suggest you get used to it, because there's only one way out- death. Do you want to die?"

Still utterly winded by her punch, I just shook my head.

"Didn't think so," she growled, and let go of my shirt. Turning around, she started to walk slowly down the path. "I suggest you hurry up, unless you want to be late."

Groaning, I pulled myself to my feet and staggered after her. "You never answered my question though. About the attack, I mean."

Catching up, I saw her expression turn to worry. "I was talking about the dark angels. They have power over darkness and few weaknesses, but one opportunity for us is rapidly approaching."

Suppressing my fear, I asked: "an opportunity? What do you mean?"

Lydia was quiet for a moment, and then asked me out of the blue, "What day is it today, Roxas?"

I had to think for a moment after I realized she had just said my name for the first time. With all this crazy shit happening I had almost forgotten to check the calendar on Lydia's wall. "Uh...October second I think. Why do you ask?"

She nodded. "Every year, the day after Halloween is the time when the angels will be at their most weak. Some have said that Halloween night drains the angels of their power, leaving them helpless but that's just a theory. If it's true though, then we'll have the advantage for sure."

"Why's that?"

She smirked and turned towards me. "The next full moon is on Halloween night! It could give us an extra boost of power to help even the odds."

I gasped and almost started smiling myself- her enthusiasm was contagious. "So if today is October second then..."

"That's right," she said as she gazed up into the night sky. "I have until November first to train you to fight, or we'll both be killed."

At that point, only one thing was going through my head.

_Fuck._

**-Till November-**

Staring up at a now darkened sky, Xion continued to gaze at all the stars above. Hugging her knees, she frowned. Roxas still wasn't here yet. And now she was getting cold.

'_He's late,'_ she thought sourly. _'God, I'm going to punch him when he-_

"Xion!" a familiar voice shouted from behind her, and she spun around. Sure enough, it was Roxas and his companion making their way across the path.

_-gets here.'_ she finished and got up. Roxas was now running towards her with a huge smile plastered on his face, and staring to run herself, couldn't help but do the same.

Now, if Xion and Roxas were running towards each other in a field of flowers with the sun shining overhead that would have been horribly stereotypical. However, this situation is not because of several reasons- the first being that it is obviously the middle of the night. The second being the fact that this is not a typical romance; it's about the supernatural and monsters, not another _High School Musical_. The third is the setting; which still has the massive crater from the previous fight. And finally, once again Roxas chose the most horrible moment to fall head over heels, and flat onto his face.

Picking himself up off the ground, Roxas stood and dusted himself off. He had tripped over one of the smaller boulders from earlier, and before he could start to run again Xion rushed up and wrapped her arms around him. She buried her face in his chest, breathing in his earthy scent and revelling in how loud his heartbeat sounded.

Hesitating slightly, he gently drew his own arms around her, and the two stood still for several minutes. After the pause, Roxas muttered, "Hey Xion."

She chuckled quietly, and looked up at him. "Hey Roxas."

Both of them fell into an awkward silence, staring into each other's eyes before Roxas broke it once more, "I missed you."

Xion smiled happily and she slowly backed out of his embrace. "You too, tall stuff. How's it going? You look better then you have in ages."

Putting his hands behind his head, he smiled even wider. "I feel better too. Stronger, faster... everything is more vivid than it was before. As for how it's going..." he glanced behind him and Xion spotted the other person standing a few feet behind them. She had red hair, green eyes, and looked like she had seen her fair share of battles.

"Is she...?" Xion whispered to him discreetly while giving her a somewhat nasty look. Something about her just didn't sit right.

Roxas turned and nodded. "Yeah, she's like me."

Moving to stand in between the two girls, he introduced them to each other. "Xion, Lydia. Lydia, Xion." Quickly shaking hands, Xion noticed that Lydia had a very solid grip, even with her small hands.

"She's also my mentor, and I'm staying at her apartment for the time being."

Her hand clenched, and Lydia noticed with an almost unnoticeable smirk. Feeling sudden anger and jealousy boiling up, Xion did her best not to let it show.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Xion." Lydia spoke with an undertone of smugness in her voice, but kept her expression neutral.

Xion's eye twitched; it looked as if she had some competition.

"Likewise." She shot back tightly, and narrowed her eyes.

After a few tense seconds, the two dropped their hands and each took a step back. Roxas obviously hadn't noticed the hostility between them, and was still smiling widely.

"So...I bet your wondering what exactly is going on, right?" he addressed Xion and took a step closer. "Lots of things have happened in the few days that we've been separated. Why don't we have a catch up session?"

She laughed quietly then shook her head. "We've been having a lot of those lately haven't we? But yes, I guess we should. Let's sit." Xion then led them back to the central fountain and they all sat on the rim. Roxas sat in the middle, while Xion sat on his left and Lydia on his right.

Getting comfortable, she started from right before she got him to Vexen's lab.

"You were unconscious, and I did my best to get you down to the basement gently. When I got there, Vexen and Axel were both fighting about something, but I didn't hear enough of their conversation to know what about. After that I got you inside and put you down on the floor." Her expression turned sad as she continued. "By that time you were burning hot and looked like you were in a lot of pain. I don't know if you remember, but Axel asked you if you were all right."

"Oh, I remember all right." He smiled and nodded. "That's one of the only things I actually do remember. It's hard not to remember that guy." Roxas gestured for her to continue.

"Then Axel and I decided to try to get you to drink some water because you looked dehydrated. We succeeded- to an extent. You ended up coughing up half of the water you swallowed, and your muscles immediately started to convulse."

She glanced toward him, and saw his eyes staring intently at her. "I take it that's when I started to change?"

She nodded, not taking her eyes away from his. They seemed to have a different air to them, like the change has triggered something and they were almost glowing in the dim light. "Exactly. It was kind of scary, but no scarier than that darkside. Anyway, when you were a wolf, you looked around the room for a bit before growling and taking off out the door. Axel told me to follow you and I did, at least for a little bit."

"Did you lose track of me or something?"

"Sorta. I was running fast, and I kept you in sight for about three minutes, then you ran around a corner and I lost you. But by that time I already had a clear idea of where you were going, and I headed there. It didn't take me long, but when I got there you had already attacked Saix and wounded him. You got him good too- I don't think he's very happy about getting large teeth marks on his shoulder."

He snorted and turned away. "It serves him right for being such a dick those last few weeks. I swear he followed me around everywhere I went, although I get the point for that now. He was trying to prevent me from spilling the secret, so to speak."

She nodded again. "After that I managed to coax you into changing back and you did, but you passed out. Axel caught up to us not long after, and I noticed that he had all sorts of scars and things on his hand. All three of us decided to send you to a different world to keep you safe until you could get back to the castle on your own."

"_Yeah, fat lot of good it's done me..." _Roxas muttered under his breath without Xion noticing.

"Saix summoned a different kind of portal then, I think he said it was a light portal and Axel and I put you in it and it closed over you. I would have come with you, but it burned us like fire. I think I might still have small scars from it too."

Across from her, Lydia flinched but said nothing.

"And he ended up sending me here," Roxas muttered and crossed his arms. "If this was his idea of somewhere safe, then I'd hate to see what he determines to be _un_safe."

Xion's confused expression prompted Lydia to comment. "We had a few run-ins with the local pest problem, but he'll be alright. I did have to save his ass from them once." She then smirked devilishly, but stopped when Roxas shot her a harsh glare.

"It's nothing Xion," he smiled, effectively changing the subject. "So, what have you been up to? Anyone else miss me back at the orgy?"

It took her a moment to respond. She was now even more pissed at the fact that he now owed her something, and she had no idea who this girl was or what her motives were. "Not much has really gone on since you left. Apart from the fact that you and Vexen are still 'missing', everything has gone back to normal."

"Whoa, wait," he held his hands up and frowned. "Vexen is missing? What happened to him?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Axel has something to do with his disappearance. He was the last one to see Vexen before he disappeared, and it was on the same night that you transformed."

Roxas sat still, thinking this over for a moment. "I think he killed him."

"What?" she nearly shouted, shocked. "You can't be serious! He would never-

"Hear me out," he interrupted with a stern gaze. "Think about it for a minute. If Axel was the last one to see Vexen and he caught up to you with scars on him, then it should be obvious what has happened. And on top of that, he also took a blood sample from me. It's very possible that he found out what I now am, and Axel destroyed him to protect the secret." Roxas's expression turned solemn. "It's good to know that I have people to watch my back, but I don't want anyone to die because of me."

Xion looked down. She wouldn't want anyone to die for her either, but with Vexen there was no other choice. They couldn't risk having him blow the whistle on their operation. "I guess you're right- that does make sense now that I think about it."

Standing up, she turned back toward the two Lycans and smiled sadly. "Well, I guess I should get back to the castle. When do you think I should come back?"

_How about never?_ Lydia mouthed, but Xion payed no mind. Roxas on the other hand, thought for a moment before responding. "Hmm...How about every Friday night? They usually keep the mission's short and sweet on those days anyway."

"Sounds like a plan," She grinned, and turned to walk away. "Good night."

"Xion wait." Roxas said, and came up to her. He looked like he desperately wanted to ask something.

She turned around and stared up into his blue eyes which now seemed to hold a hint of worry in them. "Roxas what's wro-

Wrapping his arms around her, he held her tightly as if she was nothing but a flower that would blow away at the slightest breeze. "Promise me you'll be careful okay?" he pleaded as he held her close.

She blinked once, and then spoke. "I will."

Feeling reassured he started to pull away, but before he could stop himself he leaned towards her and kissed her lightly on the lips. Xion stood frozen for several seconds before closing her eyes, and she was almost disappointed when he slowly pulled away.

"Good night Xion." Roxas whispered, his breath sweet and warm like chocolate, then turned and ran for the city with Lydia close behind.

Xion stood watching them leave, and when they were out of sight she let out a quiet squeal of glee. _'Roxas kissed me!'_ she thought in awe. This had been her first kiss, and it couldn't have been more perfect. A wide smile on her face, she opened up a portal and headed back to the castle.

She would dream of Roxas that night.

**So, yeah. HERE COMES THE ROKUSHI. And if you don't like it, sorry but you've come to the wrong Fanfiction. I also think I'm getting in the habit of making longer chapters- this one beat my previous record by about 400 words (that's a lot to me, by the way). **

**And once again, sorry for this being slightly late. I didn't finish it until late last night, but at least it's done now. I wanted to finish the 'bittersweet reunion' chapter and not drag it on to a fourth- you guy's understand right? **

**Oh, and speaking of chapter's, I think I'm going to start work on another upcoming Fanfiction (I'm not telling which one yet), which means updates might get a bit slower. I take a lot of time writing these long chapters so there is the quality instead of quantity. **

**If you guys want to comment on this 'news', feel free to leave it in a review on the way out if you don't mind. ~**

"**AND REVIEW!" (Please?)**


	30. Bringing Up The Past

Quietly sneaking back into Lydia's apartment via stairwell, my face was still feeling warm. I had no idea what had come over me before- I hadn't intended to kiss Xion at all. I just wanted to give her a hug and then say goodnight, but I couldn't stop myself from what happened next. I wasn't in control of my body, and I had a feeling that the beast inside of me had just shown itself for the first time.

Now don't get me wrong; I did want to kiss Xion but I had wanted to wait until later, when I was sure she would feel the same way. The look on her face when I kissed her though! I couldn't tell whether it was one of pleasant surprise, or horrified shock. I was freaking out inside, and I wondered if I had gone too far.

And the worst part of it is, the beast had urged me to do _more_ than just kiss her.

"..xas! Earth to Roxas! Is anyone in there?"

"...hm?" I mumbled, jolted out of my thoughts.

Lydia sighed tiredly. "If you're not going to open the door, then get out of the way! I don't have all night."

Scooting out of the way, I watched as she put the lock in the door and opened it. Closing the door behind us, she strode over to the kitchen and searched the fridge.

"Want anything to eat?" she called to me as I sat down on the couch. When I shook my head she just shrugged and said again, "Suit yourself."

Grabbing a few pieces of bread and a large slice of cheese, she took a plate out of the cupboard and came to the couch, sitting across from me. After a few bites, she spoke up.

"Well, do you want to start?" Lydia questioned after swallowing. Something sparked in her eyes then- a hidden emotion that I couldn't place and didn't try to. "Now I'm really interested to find out where you came from."

I nodded slowly, and began.

"Well, I think the first thing to start with is this- you know about Unversed Lydia, but do you know about Nobodies?"

"Yeah," she closed her eyes and crossed her arms. "Beings of darkness born when someone with an exceptionally strong heart becomes a heartless. To answer your question, yes I have heard of them."

I sighed heavily. "Then you probably already know this from looking into my mind, but I was born a Nobody."

"That's what I thought," Lydia laughed quietly and glanced over to me with knowing eyes. "I knew from the moment I first saw you that there was something suspicious going on."

"How so?"

She shook her head and gestured for me to continue. "I'll get to that when it's my turn. For now, just finish up with your side."

So I did. I told her about everything I knew- how I came to join the organization, my first few weeks as a Nobody, meeting Xion for the first time, and so on. After that I moved on to our fight with the darkside, the dream and the voice before I came back to life, and the bloody weeks that followed. I also went over the strange sickness that I had fought in the last few days before my first transformation, and what I had remembered after that. I finished up with how I thought I was going to die from the wounds the Unversed gave me.

"...and then I saw a redheaded figure just before I blacked out- that was you I guess." I fell silent as I eyed the food on the table.

She stayed silent as she shifted her position on the couch. "Yes, that was me. I got there just in time too- a few more seconds and you would have been a goner."

Munching on a piece of cheese, I waited for her to start her own side. Her eyes had already grown dark, and I had a feeling I was in for a sad tale.

"Like I told you before, I was born here in this world approximately twenty three years ago. I lived in a normal house on the 'poorer' side of town with my parents and my younger brother. Having weapons on you was not an uncommon thing back then, because people got mugged almost daily. My brother and I taught ourselves to use weapons to defend ourselves if the need ever arose. We led good lives though, despite where we came from. My brother and I always did what we were told, although when not at home, he did tend to be a bit of a nuisance. You couldn't really blame him mind you- it was just in his nature."

Lydia took a deep breath and hugged her knees, leaning against the side of the couch. "That all changed when I was fourteen though. One morning, I was walking around the town by myself to kill time before I had to get to school. I was always an early riser and I took the opportunity every morning to get the exercise. So when I came across a lone boy with spiky blonde hair and bright blue eyes practicing with what looked to be a sword shaped weapon in the courtyard, I naturally became curious. After a short conversation, I learned that his name was Ventus, or Ven for short. He was the same age as me, and he lived with his adopted siblings on the other side of town. He also said that he was training for something, but when I asked him what for, he quickly changed the subject. When I look back on it now, I can understand why. He was keeping a secret- one that would probably scare the general population if word ever got out."

It took me a second to put the pieces together in my head. "Ven was a lycan?"

"Yeah, and a relatively new one at that. When I first met him, he wasn't even past the stage of mastering his keyblade yet. He asked me if I wanted to be his sparring partner for the times he was there, and I instantly agreed. So, I met him at the courtyard every morning for over a year. Naturally we became friends, and he ended up telling me his secret- that he was training to be a lycan. I was sceptical at first, but once he got the hang of the transformation and felt safe enough, he shifted in front of me in the woods."

Lydia sighed quietly. "I'll always remember that day. I remember that I felt a sort of pull at my heart when I watched him change, like it was my destiny to be able to change too. And I was right. Not long after that, I had Ven test my blood to see if I had the potential."

Picking up a slice of bread, I tore a small piece off and ate it. "How did he test your blood?"

She smiled mischievously. "I made a tiny incision on my wrist, and Ven took a drop and tasted it. He could tell just by the taste that I had the gene, and he got really exited then. He asked me if I wanted to be one of them, and live with his adopted father Eraqus and siblings.

"I wanted to, I really did but I knew that I couldn't leave my family behind. My brother was only nine at the time; he needed someone to watch over him and keep him out of trouble until he got older. And I was pretty sure that his adopted father wouldn't be too happy about Ven revealing his secret so easily. So, I told him that I wanted to wait for a while. He reluctantly agreed. None the less, our secret friendship became stronger all the while. Secret, because Ven never told his family about me. I think he was a little scared to see how they would react to me- poorer, scruffier, _human_. That never stopped Ven. He found something in me that everyone else seemed to overlook, and... I started to love him for it."

Her eyes gleamed with emotion as she continued. "I think he must have too, because one day he came to meet me in the morning with a knapsack on his back. When I asked him where he was going he just said, 'run away with me. Let's leave this life behind, go to a new world, start fresh.' I almost agreed, but I wanted an explanation first. When I finally managed to get him to explain, I found out that he had had some sort of fight with his siblings over his age, and he wanted out, wanted to escape. The look on his face screamed; 'there's no fucking way I'm ever going back there!' and hell, I believed him.

"Ven wanted to change me, he'd wanted to ever since he found out that I was capable. I used that to my advantage, and I told him that if he went back to his family and apologized for whatever happened, I'd let him change me. I figured it was about time anyway, and after some persuasiveness on my part he agreed.

"The next morning he came to meet me in the woods. He didn't have his bag- I just assumed he left it at home. I also didn't question him about the day before after he left; I could tell it was still a dicey subject with him. I remember his asking me where I wanted my Mark- the Mark being the scar from where you were bitten. I told him I wanted it on the upper arm because I almost constantly wore long sleeved shirts." Lifting up her right sleeve, I saw tiny bite marks, almost identical to mine halfway down her upper arm. "Before he changed me, he told me just about everything he knew about Lycans, how to shift properly, things to avoid, and the like. I didn't understand all of it at the time but I absorbed his words as much as I could." Tugging her shirt sleeve back down, she continued to talk. "He used his sharp nails to cut open his right hand, and suck some blood out. And then he bit down on my arm; just lightly enough to break the skin and get his blood into my system. After only a few seconds though, I blacked out.

"I woke up hours later with a light headache. I'd been moved so that I was leaning against a rock, and my arm was already bandaged. When I looked around though, Ven was nowhere to be found. I found that strange at first, but I went home thinking that he just had to be somewhere and didn't want to move me. But when I came to the courtyard the next morning, he didn't show. For weeks afterward I searched for him, not once finding a single trace. I never saw him again.

"And like all wounds I did get over it. I moved on, thinking I would have to teach myself to be a lycan. I managed to keep my secret for four years, but then everything went to hell. Darkness spread like wildfire through our world and spawned countless heartless, all in one bloody night. I was sleeping when the invasion began, but I woke up quickly when one of the heartless managed to set our house on fire. My father and I barely managed to get out in time, but my mother and little brother were both trapped in the flames. They never made it out. Even if they did escape after us, they probably would have been killed by heartless. There were so many of them... I don't even know how I managed to make it out alive."

I frowned. "Uh, by 'made it out', what do you mean? Did you go to another world?"

"Exactly. It turns out that my father was a lycan too, and he already had control over light portals. He managed to open one up for just enough time for me to get into it. When I looked back, he was getting swarmed with heartless. The last thing I saw before the portal closed was his heart floating away from his lifeless body. I ended up in traverse town- a place where people go when their worlds have been destroyed. Because I was now an orphan, I stayed with a few friends while I was there. Over the year that I stayed in traverse town, I discovered something. Almost like a cruel joke, the same thing that killed my family and nearly killed me would now bend to my will." Snapping her fingers, a small flame appeared an inch above her hand and continued to flicker. "I can control fire and make it do whatever I want. I'm still not sure why I can do this, but I think it has something to do with what happened on the night of the invasion." Closing her hand into a fist, Lydia effectively put out the small flame and continued to speak.

"Most of the people that had survived the invasion chose to come back here three years ago; myself included. The memories of the deaths of my family still haunted me, but there was no way I was staying in that claustrophobic little town for any longer than I had to. I had to go home, for the sake of my health. After I got back here I managed to get myself this apartment, and I've lived on my own ever since. Everything was peaceful until a year ago when I started to notice a rise in darkness, and the Unversed started to appear. They can only mean one thing- the dark angels, and I have a feeling that they were responsible for the invasion as well."

I crossed my arms, confused. "What's the connection between the unversed and the dark angels? Do the unversed serve them or something?"

Lydia pursed her lips and looked up at the ceiling. "Kinda. Unversed are really just heartless that have been mutated by dark magic **(1)**. Some people call them tainted heartless too. Only the dark angels are capable of using the dark magic, and from what you've told me you experienced this firsthand."

"With... that neoshadow that transformed right? Is that why I was sick before?"

She nodded. "Most Lycans get sick when exposed directly to dark energy, but only if you're close enough. That means that one of them must have been close by at that time." **(2)**

I shivered. Not only had I almost come face to face with the supposed enemy, but I had a feeling we were going to be seeing a lot more tainted heartless in the future.

Getting up, Lydia stretched. Her expression had already gone back into 'mentor mode'; neutral. She looked like her old self again. "Well, I think that's enough talking for tonight. Get some rest. Tomorrow we'll begin your training."

"Right. Goodnight Lydia."

She grunted her reply as she walked into her room. Even though her expression had gone back to normal though, I could sense that a weight had been removed from her shoulders. She seemed more at ease than before.

And I had a feeling that she had desperately wanted to tell someone that story for a long time.

_**1. Obviously this isn't true. In the game, unversed are born from the negative emotions in a person's heart, and they aren't connected to the heartless at all. I had to change this for my story though, so bear with me.**_

_**2. You remember that figure that was mentioned near the end of chapter 16, the one with the big battle with the kitty heartless (my word for it LOL)? Well, that's what I'm talking about. Go back and look if you have to. Don't worry, I'll wait.**_

**So once again, sorry if this was sort of dull. Lots of things in it are important though, so I had to write it like this. Anyway, I'm off to the cabin next week, and I may or may not be able to write while I'm there. So if my updates get even slower than they already are... just be patient. I'll get the chapter up as soon as I can. **

**And as usual, don't forget to leave a REVIEW on the way out! ~**


	31. Unexpected

**I'M BAAAAAACK!**

**Roxas: Yeah, and you were gone for how many weeks? it's been nearly a month since you updated last! people have been waiting patiently for you to post, and what do you do? you sit there with writers block for weeks! someone even wished you _happy birthday_ for god's sake! and you make her wait four friggn' weeks! i can't believe you would do something like that!... *rambles on***

**Mei: Enough with the hissy fit roxas. the chapter is finished and thats what counts. **

**...**

**What are you guys staring at me for? read! read! READ!**

Kingdom hearts- it floated in the night sky over the castle that never was, and grew larger every passing day.

Staring out the large window in her room, Xion regarded it with distaste. Xemnas had forced her to work even harder every day to obtain twice as many hearts than before because Roxas had still not been found. She came back to the castle every day exhausted, sore, and above all tired. She had almost cancelled her visit with Roxas last Friday because she'd literally worked herself sick.

It had been just over four and a half weeks since Roxas had started his training with the other lycan named Lydia. Every Friday like they had promised, Xion had met Roxas in radiant garden and they had told each other what they had experienced that week. There wasn't much to report from her end- the only thing really worth mentioning was that Xemnas was furious that no one had been able to locate both him and Vexen- Roxas laughed a little at this. Apart from that, all she did was work, work, and work. She felt so useless not being able to do anything else for Roxas.

He on the other hand, was making huge amounts of progress. Xion didn't understand everything he said, but he had mentioned something about 'nearly mastering the second stage'. Roxas had later told her that it meant he had gotten the hang of the transformation and was working towards being able to summon his keyblade in wolf form. He told her about everything- how he transformed, how he changes back, how fast he could run, and so on. Xion soaked up every word when he spoke, breathing in every syllable and committing them to memory. Who knows; one day she might have a use for all of that information.

Letting out a quiet sigh, she turned away from the window and walked to her bathroom. It was Thursday, but for some reason Zexion had cancelled missions for the day. She planned to take Axel to see Roxas today- getting him out of the castle for some fresh air seemed like a good idea after all the sulking he'd been doing. Xion glanced at herself in the mirror. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her skin looked paler than usual- both of which were the result of working overtime. Her hair had started to grow out; it was now almost shoulder length. Taking a hair band out of one of the drawers, she tied her hair up into a loose ponytail, while leaving several strands down.

And on top of the fact that she was being worked into the ground, another thing had her on edge. The entire organization had an air of fear to it; awkward small talk, nervous expressions, and blank faces were everywhere. This was most obvious in Zexion himself, whom she had started to visit more often. Several times Xion had tried to probe him for information, but his lips were as good as sealed. He mentioned constantly about how he didn't know anything, but she could tell that he was hiding things. The look that Roxas had on his face when he lied to her was the exact same face that Zexion wore nearly every day. That was the reason she had started to spend more time with him; to hopefully be there when he finally slipped up and said something he shouldn't.

She had also not seen the strange black robed figure with wings since that first encounter on the bridge. His voice haunted her dreams, and caused a fair share of nightmares.

'_**Don't forget that I will be back to retrieve you eventually'.**_ If she was really as important as he said, then why wait so long to come get her? Why not just get it over with? This didn't make sense.

Xion snorted. **'**_**We'll get you a real teacher; one that actually knows what they're doing.'**_She didn't need a teacher. With the help of the books from the library, she had secretly been teaching herself how to use and control dark magic. It wasn't actually that hard; all she needed to do was concentrate and the magic came to her as easily as breathing. Xion had learned a lot in a few weeks and was now moving on to advanced spells, such as manipulating wind to make herself float in the air. She had even been able to sprout her own two wings at one point, which were jet black like a raven's. The one downside to practicing dark magic was the strong scent of darkness it produced. This was easily covered up however; most of the castle smelled like darkness anyway.

Leaving the bathroom, she grabbed her organization coat from her closet, pulled on a pair of black converses, and headed down to the mess hall to get something to eat. Saix had also been making progress lately; he was getting better but he wasn't anywhere near where Roxas was. Maybe if conditions were favourable, he could go to Lydia to learn as well; he would probably enjoy that. Axel on the other hand, was far more withdrawn than usual. He was eerily quiet and spent more time by himself than ever before. Axel was probably just lying low for the time being. After all, he was the one to take Vexen out of the picture for good.

Two flights of stairs later, she was sifting through the contents of the fridge looking for a leftover omelette she had made the previous morning. She had originally made it to take with her on her mission that day, but it went by so quickly that she just had a late lunch once she arrived back at the castle. Taking it out of the fridge and placing it on the counter, she removed the cling wrap and placed the omelette in the microwave to heat it up. While she was eating, a familiar red head walked through the door and into the nearly empty mess hall.

"Oh, hey Axel. Nice timing. I was going to ask if you wanted to go visit Roxas with me today." She said quietly, carefully talking around her mouthful of omelette.

He looked mildly surprised. "No missions today I take it?"

Xion shook her head and smiled. "Nope, not a single one. I'm visiting him again tomorrow, but I thought I'd just take you with me today. My visits with him on Fridays are more... private."

"I see," Axel chuckled quietly. "Well, I won't bother you about that. I'll go with you today though if you want; I don't have anything to do today anyway. I-" His stomach cut him off, grumbling and complaining loudly. "Just let me get something to eat first."

"Okay." She answered with another smile and continued eating her breakfast. It didn't take Axel long to put together a plate of two huge pancakes and eat them; Xaldin wasn't the only one in the castle that liked to cook.

"Ah, that hits the spot!" the red head sighed and patted his stomach in satisfaction when he was finished. "Want to go now Xion? Or do you want to wait until later when it's dark?"

"Might as well go now then," she said as she got up and took Axel's paper plate to the trash for him. "I want to catch him earlier on in the day if possible."

"Earlier it is," he said as he rose to his feet and followed her down into the hallway. "I'm going to go grab some supplies from my room just in case. I'll meet you at your room in fifteen. Is that okay?"

"That's fine with me." Xion nodded and he disappeared into a dark corridor.

She watched him leave with an intrigued expression. Something seemed different about Axel today; he was standing straighter than usual, he sounded more upbeat, and he agreed to go see Roxas easily. Up until now he had been sulking in his room most of the time and looking almost sickly... sort of like how Roxas had been before. He was in a good mood even before she had mentioned the visit, so that couldn't be it. _'I wonder... could Axel have the same disease as Roxas?'_ she thought with a frown, and then shook her head. _'No, he's probably just in a good mood today. After all, he would need the gene to become one anyway so the chances are very slim.'_

Raising her palm, she opened up her own corridor and moved through it._ 'No, Axel is not a lycan; that's just wishful thinking. He would have told me if he was one right?'_

'_...Right?'_

-**Till November- **

The woods were very quiet today. Very few birds were singing, the wind had died down some and the trees creaked quietly. Almost nothing penetrated this utter and complete silence that surrounded me.

I was breathing heavily as I ran. The forest floor flew beneath me as I pushed my legs to go faster and faster, until I was nothing but a brown blur through the trees. I leapt over rocks, fallen trees, and splashed through a stream to hide my scent. I knew this territory well now, and I was aware of exactly where I was.

Slowing to a stop, I raised my nose into the wind and tasted the slight breeze. The scent of my prey was stronger than it was before; I was close.

Creeping forward into the bushes, I pricked my ears and could now make out the sound of a large animal from somewhere up ahead. Once I had a clear view through the bushes, I peered out and spotted the deer grazing in the clearing in front of me. It was alone and seemed completely unaware it was being hunted. Almost on cue, my mouth started to water. I could nearly taste it already.

Yes, this was the thrill of the hunt.

The second it started to face the other way, I burst out of the bushes and streaked towards the unsuspecting prey. It must have heard me, because it started to run. I gave chase, running it through what I knew was rough territory; lots of fallen logs, cliffs, and overall rocky ground where the deer quickly lost its footing and fell. I took this opportunity and ended its life quickly with a sharp bite to the neck.

Leaning away from the now dead animal, I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. I was glad that it was over; hunting alone was harder than I thought it would be, and I had been chasing that deer for several miles. Lydia had told me that the first one was always the hardest, and now I knew what she meant. She wouldn't be disappointed though; I knew I had done everything right for my first solo kill.

'_Speaking of which...'_ I thought, and turned away from the deer. Raising my head, I let out a loud howl to get Lydia's attention and alert her to where I was. I knew she had been following me from a distance to asses my performance, but this was part of the procedure. It was one step I couldn't afford to miss.

Several short minutes later, Lydia trotted through the trees towards me. I could tell just by her emotions that she was clearly impressed.

'_Mm... Nice buck,'_ Lydia grunted as she examined my kill. '_Good and fat, a little older than I would have liked but not a single scratch on him. And that kill bite! Heh, I taught you well.' _

I pulled a toothy grin._ 'I must be a natural. He was a bitch to track though; kept going through rivers trying to through me off. I had to double back twice because he caught my scent.'_

Lydia nodded her massive head._ 'That's what you have to watch out for. Pay attention to the wind direction and make sure you stay upwind of your prey. I have to congratulate you though; that was an amazing job for your first time going solo, in those circumstances no less. Great job!'_

'_Thanks.' _I mumbled back to her, and the both of us dug in.

I suppose I should explain what exactly happened in the last four weeks. That's not going to be easy though- Some things that I experienced cannot be described properly with words; you have to feel them yourselves to understand. But, for those of you without the power to change, I'll do my best.

Lydia had taught me nearly everything she knew about hunting, fighting, and basically staying alive. The first week was torture; I had handled the transformations badly and sometimes only went halfway before being forced to shift back and rest. I almost got stuck like that too- It would have royally sucked if I had to live the rest of my life with a human body covered in fur and a tail. The tail I didn't mind so much, but having to deal with fleas and ticks- ugh. Needless to say I was not going to stay like that willingly. After I'd gotten the hang of it though, the transformations came much faster and more smoothly. I could now shift on the fly in a split second, which was essential for combat. Lydia had told me that you needed to be able to release your power at a moment's notice or the only thing that could follow was death.

I'd had mock fights with her a few times, just to test our strength and keep my battle reflexes sharp. In wolf form, I was a fair bit larger than Lydia now, but what she lacked in size and power she more than made up for in speed and overall agility. Most of the time my brute strength was simply no competition for her, and I was beaten at almost every match. One day when this was all over, I think I'd take Saix up on an offer of a rematch if he was willing. I'd had an unfair advantage last time- I was fighting to kill, while he was just testing me. I wanted to have a real fight, to see which one of us was stronger. Call me stubborn, but at least I have priorities.

Still on the subject of fighting, Lydia had taught me a few lessons in human form as well, also to keep our reflexes up to par. She showed me how to use special moves called Command Styles that let you use the power of your keyblade to the fullest. So far, I had only been able to activate a couple of tier one Command Styles that had to do with fire and ice- Firestorm and Diamond Dust- but even that was amazing progress from where I was previously. This helped me with my magic ability and greatly increased my stamina in both forms. Tier two Commands were more difficult but Lydia had said that, in time, I would master them.

Unfortunately, time was a luxury we did not have. Both of us were trying hard not to think about it, but you could only deny your coming doom for so long. We knew that Halloween night was approaching fast, and with it came the promise of some sort of conflict between us and the Dark Angels. Lydia had been training me long and hard for the last several weeks, but I have a bad feeling that it was all in vain. There was truth in the fact that I had become far stronger than before, but all the strength in the world won't help you if you get too surrounded. We'd be outnumbered and outmatched, but I wouldn't go down without a fight. When I'd been changed into a lycan I must have picked up a strong sense of pride along with being stubborn, because even If I died in battle against the Angels I would give them a battle they wouldn't forget.

My second death... it seemed imminent. A sudden thought came to mind and I stopped. What about Xion? Would she miss me, if I were to die? Would she grieve for me and mourn my death? Yeah, I think she would. But at least she would be safe and alive. After all, I'd died once and it wasn't painful or anything. I'd passed on, and came back. Surely it wouldn't be so bad, dying a second time. I just hoped that it would be painless.

'_What's with you and the mental monologue again? Do I have to take you to go see a doctor?'_ Lydia looked up at me from the river where we had been washing the blood off our muzzles. We had buried what was left of the deer carcass deep enough that scavengers wouldn't be able to get to it. This was just another lycan custom- treat your prey with respect, and it would bring you luck. Well, that was the theory anyway.

'_Nuthin,'_ I replied, flashing my canines in a huge yawn. _'You must be hearing things.' _

Lydia mock snarled at me._ 'Don't try to imply that I'm crazy you little shit. I'm not the one who tried to summon my spirit partner by meditating for five hours, which was an absolute waste of time. And stop thinking about death, it's depressing.' _

You most likely would have guessed by now, but I still haven't been able to summon my spirit partner. Lydia was completely baffled- this was supposed to be one of the simplest steps taken in training, and yet I'd heard nothing. We had waited for weeks for any sort of sign but to no avail. Last week, Lydia had tried to force my spirit partner into responding by using the power of her own partner Cressania, but that didn't work either. After that failed attempt she'd given up saying; _'When he wants to appear, he will.' _And that was the end of that.

'_That's not what I was saying at all. What I meant was th-' _

Lydia stared at me with a confused expression for several seconds. '...What?'

'_Xion's here,'_ I muttered as I felt the sudden connection in my chest grow stronger. '_I can feel her presence from the outer gardens.' _

Without waiting for her response, I turned and streaked off through the woods. Why had Xion come early? Was something wrong?

**-Till November-**

"Xion, are you absolutely _sure_ this is the right place? Something about this world doesn't seem right." Axel whined. He was getting bad vibes from this place, and all of his bad memories were starting to resurface. Why in the world's would Saix send Roxas here of all places?

They were both standing near the gate in the outer gardens that seemed to keep the forest from overtaking the city. By now it was close to midday- Roxas usually finished training by late afternoon, but Xion reasoned that they could just observe until the end of the day. Axel had started to complain the moment they set foot in the world, and unfortunately hadn't stopped since.

Xion sighed in frustration. "Yes, Axel for the fourth time, I'm positive that this is the place. I've been here more than once you know. It's not like this is the first time."

They both paused for a moment, and then Axel broke the silence. "It's hard to believe that he was just a regular nobody a few weeks ago huh?"

"I don't think he ever was normal Axel. Both he and I stand out among the nobodies not just for our ability to wield the keyblade, but for our strange origins as well," she looked up and smiled almost sadly. "We came from the same person."

"What? You don't mean that... you know?" Axel muttered in shock. How could Xion have found out where she came from? And how did she manage to put two and two together...?

Before she could respond, a loud howl rang out from within the woods, and then she could feel his presence strong and clear. He was calling to her, and she could feel surprise and fear flowing through their connection towards her. Closing her eyes and concentrating, she sent back waves of joy to communicate that she was fine. He received the message but didn't respond.

Turning back to her companion, she motioned for him to back up. "Give him some room." Silently he complied, backtracking several metres away from the gate.

Without warning a large figure appeared from beyond the gate, running fast. It was Roxas in his wolf form, Xion realized. He had grown larger since his first transformation; far larger in fact. Without slowing down, the massive brown wolf leaped up and over the fence in a single bound, closely followed by his mentor Lydia. He shifted in midair, and landed on two feet three metres in front of Xion.

"Hey Roxas!" Xion walked over to the blonde and gave him a small hug. "I brought Axel with me today 'cuz the missions were cancelled. Axel, come meet Roxas's m-" She trailed off when she spotted the look of absolute shock on the red head's face. Glancing over to Lydia, she saw the same expression on her face as well.

"L-Lydia?"

"Lea?"

Now it was Roxas' and Xion's turn to look surprised. "Wait... do you two know each other?" Xion questioned.

"Of course I know her!" Axel snapped back at them as he shot the two a fierce glare. "I've always known her!"

Surprise, and then realization dawned on Roxas' face. "How could you have? Unless..."

"Yeah," he nodded, and then looked back to Lydia with an awed expression. "Because she's..."

"_She's my sister._"


	32. Defiance

**Alright, first things first. I'm really sorry this is so late, but do you really want to hear me rant right now?**

**I think not. Explanation at the end of the chapter.**

"_YOU'RE SISTER?"_ Xion and I echoed loudly. Why didn't I notice it sooner? The high cheek bones, the red hair, the same attitude, everything added up. They could be twins for all I know.

Lydia was the first to respond to us. "Yeah, I'm his sister. I don't..." she turned to Axel. "How are you still alive? You died in that fire four years ago! You should be DEAD!"

For the first time ever, Lydia looked confused, scared and enraged at the same time. I couldn't blame her though; how would you feel if one of your siblings died in some sort of accident and, years later, showed up _alive_ without warning? Lydia would have already grieved for her dead brother and moved on. For him to show up now... it must be hard.

To our surprise, Axel's expression turned cold. "Yes, I should be dead. I should have died in that fire along with our mother. And the truth is, technically I did perish that night."

I remained silent, already knowing what Axel was going to say. I'd heard Lydia's side of the story before, and could easily assume the rest.

"I was killed by a heartless after I escaped our burning house. I was left as a Nobody with no memory of what had happened that night. I ended up joining the organization, or should I say, was _forced_ to join the organization. I didn't have much choice but to join; Xemnas made it clear that it was either join or be destroyed. I hadn't set foot on this world again until now." He sighed heavily and crossed his arms. "To tell you the truth sis, I thought you were dead."

Lydia made a face. "A mere house fire ain't gonna kill me that easily. You forget that I was as strong then as I am now. And I am older than you."

"How much older?" Xion wondered out loud and glanced up at me. I knew the answer; I just needed to do the math in my head first.

"It depends. I don't know whether your Nobody status makes you age slower or faster but..." I paused for dramatic effect, and then smirked. "If I'm right, he's seventeen."

"Seventeen?" Xion's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. "That isn't true, is it Axel? I mean, you look a lot older than that..." she trailed off, embarrassed.

Axel chuckled quietly, and turned his attention to Xion and I. "Yes, that is my real age if you can believe it. I'm a little tall; that's probably why you thought I was older."

"And more mature." Lydia piped up, giving him a warmer smile than what I thought she was capable of. "I can tell that you've grown up some since I saw you last. You've changed a lot."

He frowned, turning around to face her again. "Your one to talk, _miss_ _Lycan_. Why didn't you ever tell me you were one? Or was it one of those 'I can't tell you because it's top secret' type things?"

"The ladder," She sighed. "Now before this goes any further, let's all go back to my apartment where there's no risk of being eavesdropped on."

The younger pyro stared at her, dumbfounded. "...Apartment?"

**-Till November- **

More than an hour later, after walking through the streets of radiant garden in the mid afternoon sun, the gang finally arrived back at Lydia's apartment. Xion had never been inside the apartment where Lydia and Roxas (temporarily) resided, so when they entered the building she was glancing around curiously. She eyed the cracked paint on the walls and the dirt on the floor with disgust. _'I can't believe she actually lives here,' _Xion thought, stifling a quiet 'eww'. _'This place is worse than the castle laundry room on cleaning day, and that's saying something!'_

"At least there's no one at the desk today." She heard Roxas murmur beside her as they walked toward a stairwell in the north east corner of the building. She ignored him, somehow guessing she wouldn't get a straight answer if she asked for an explanation.

It didn't take the four of them long to climb up to the third floor, and walk down the hall to number 32. Her apartment was on the south side of the building, facing the stone wall that encircled the city. As Lydia opened the door and walked in, Xion fought the urge to gasp.

The place was an utter and complete _mess._

For starters, there were empty fast food bags with an array of plastic utensils, plastic straws, napkins, and empty drink cups on the small coffee table. The couch around it had been folded out into a single bed, with the sheets crumpled and the two pillows strewn haphazardly onto it. The sofa itself had food stains on it- though whether they were recent or years old, Xion couldn't tell. Clothes had been thrown into a pile against the wall to the left of the couch, all of which she knew belonged to Roxas. Glancing beyond the couch, she saw counter space with the same problem as the coffee table, and two sinks full of dirty dishes. Xion breathed in, and instantly regretted it. This place desperately needed to be aired out.

"Geez sis! I always knew you were lazy when it came to your room, but this is ridiculous!" Axel laughed, and then sneezed.

"Hey, it's not my fault that it got so bad in here. This isn't even my mess! Roxas is the one who never cleans up after himself." she countered, shooting a glare in his direction.

Roxas' expression instantly turned from one of excitement to slight anger. "Don't pin this on me! I'm not the only one who eats the takeout food! This is your apartment! I'm a _guest_ for god's sake! You should take more responsibility!"

Lydia turned around and snarled as her sharp fangs began to poke out of her mouth. "And whose pile of clothes is it in that corner huh? Who is it that messes up his bed every day and never fixes it? Tell me that!"

Roxas clenched his fists and took a step closer to her, also starting to bare his fangs. "I never clean it up because you don't give me time to! I feel like a prisoner here! You boss me around all the time and I'm sick of it!"

"That's my job you stupid asshole! I'm your mentor! You're supposed to do what I say!" Lydia shouted back. By now they were both practically nose to nose.

"You think I fucking care? I'm not listening to you anymore!"

"Oh yeah? I'll make you submit to me if I have to!"

"Bite me, bitch!"

"_Oh shit_," Xion heard Axel mutter half a second before one of Lydia's fists was airborne and heading for Roxas' face. "This isn't going to end well."

"Why's that?" Xion asked after moving back from the fighting Lycans. Roxas had dodged the initial swing, and threw a few punches of his own.

"If there's one thing I know about Lydia," he said quietly, watching the two start to bite and scratch, "It's that you never, _ever_ call her the 'B' word."

'_Note to self,'_ she thought fearfully. _'Never, ever call Lydia a bitch!'_

By now, Roxas and Lydia were starting to get rougher. Xion could see flashes of elongated claws, fangs, and pointed ears. Their eyes were wild with an animalistic rage, and genuine growling could be heard. Claw and bite marks scarred their skin, and blood was beginning to drip onto the floor. They were more wolf than human at that point.

"Shouldn't we stop them? They're hurting each other!" Xion said in a panic. She wasn't used to seeing things like this; it was freaking her out.

Once again to her surprise, Axel shook his head. "No. Let them settle this by themselves. Besides, do you really want to come between those two when they're like that?"

Looking up at him, she could see a strange emotion in Axel's eyes. What was it? Fear? Anger? Joy? No. It was something that ran deeper, like a wound to the heart, so to speak.

Was it jealousy she saw in his eyes?

"No I guess not." She responded quickly, her eyes lingering on his face as he gazed back at the two.

"Say it!" Lydia barked at Roxas, who was currently lying on the floor in a headlock with both arms pinned behind his back. "Say it or I'll make you wish you were never bitten!"

Her grip tightened on his arms and head, causing him to yelp loudly. Xion could clearly see his sharpened fangs and pointed ears from where she stood. Even in a headlock, he still looked pretty formidable.

"SAY IT!"

"I...I submit." He growled weakly, and Lydia instantly let him go and moved towards the window. Roxas lay there unmoving but still conscious; Xion could hear him whining quietly. She couldn't see his face though, because he had turned the other way.

"Roxas!" she said quietly, but when she tried to move towards him, she was stopped by a firm hand.

"He isn't in complete control of himself right now. Let him come to you." Axel whispered in her ear, and then went to go stand beside his sister. He said nothing, not even looking at her, waiting for her to give him the 'okay'.

Xion did the same, slowly lowering herself to the floor and watching Roxas. He continued to pant and whine, though she could now see him rubbing his right arm absently. She wanted so desperately to go to him, comfort him, but she didn't want a face full of claw either. Xion couldn't deny that his appearance scared her a little, and the fact that he could hurt her badly if she came too close.

Small tremors ran up her arms and down her back, but not from the room temperature. None of that mattered though. No matter what form he was in, no matter what he looked or acted like, he was still Roxas. Nothing would, or ever could change that fact.

Eventually his whines stopped, but he was still facing away from her. Xion could see that his ears and claws had gone back to normal too, and almost all of his wounds were healed.

"Are you okay now?" She whispered, inching closer to him. Slowly he turned towards her, so that he was lying on his right side. His dark blue eyes looked both humiliated and saddened, and his face looked slightly feverish.

"Roxas," Lydia called from the window without looking back. Her voice was tight, like she was in pain. "Are you fit to move?"

"Yes." He whispered as he glanced at the ceiling. He paused for a moment, looking like he was in deep thought then rose to his feet.

Offering his hand to her, she took it without a sound and got to her feet as well.

"Let's go Xion." He said, and gently tugged her by the hand towards the door.

She didn't protest; Xion didn't care as long as her hand was in his.

**-Till November-**

'_Stupid, stupid, stupid!'_ I thought angrily, carefully keeping my expression neutral. _'I can't believe I let myself lose control like that, and in front of Axel and Xion no less!'_

It was bad enough already with the full moon so close, but now we had the whole situation with the 'twins' to deal with. That just made everything far more complicated. The fates must have been against me today!

"Roxas? Uh, where are we going?"Xion asked me as we continued on through the streets. For some reason, she looked nervous and practically squirmed under my gaze. I couldn't pinpoint what was wrong with her; unlike Lydia and I, her mind was almost completely closed off to me. The only thing I could feel from her right now seemed to be fear.

And that in turn made me fear _myself._

Surely she couldn't have been affected by my 'display' that much? Xion was tougher than that; she'd seen far worse fighting heartless and there was no shortage of metaphorical blood on her hands. Or mine for that matter, so why was she acting so afraid now?

Glancing back at her I could easily see more fear and nervousness in her eyes, and she couldn't keep eye contact for more than a few seconds at a time. I sighed silently, and stopped walking. Her behaviour was starting to bug me a little, and I wanted to get to the bottom of it here and now. As fate would have it, we were already into the outer gardens. Taking a seat on the central fountain, I called her over and she sat without a word.

Xion and I sat for several minutes, staring at either the ground or the stars above respectively.

"Xion," I started carefully, aware that I was treading on dangerous ground. "Is there anything you want to say to me?"

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "Yes. I'm just not sure how to say it."

I remained silent as I looked into her deep blue eyes. She could take all the time she needed.

"I just... wasn't expecting that, you know? Like, one minute we're all just fine and then the next, there's blood on the floor and you're injured.' She crossed her arms and closed her eyes.

"That's not what's bothering you though."

"Of course it is! Nothing else is..." Xion fell silent when she saw my hard expression. She wasn't going to be able to lie to me. "Alright, that's not it. You're probably not going to like what I have to say though."

I pulled a small smile and gave her a sincere look. "Say whatever you want Xion. It isn't going to bother me."

She sighed heavily, uncrossing her arms and looking over at me.

"I'm scared, okay? I... when you and Lydia started fighting I didn't know what to expect. I've never seen either of you like that before and it freaked me out.

"And if it wasn't bad enough already," she continued as she turned her head away, "I still have to deal with all that bullshit back at the organization! Do you have any idea what that's like? To be living a double life? To be forced to pretend that your best friend is dead, and only be able to visit once a week? To be worked until your blisters have blisters, or you can't remember the last time you could actually relax without someone telling you to get back to work? I'm sick of everything!" she finished, still facing away from me. She was trying hard to hide it, but I could hear her starting to sob.

Xion's comment hurt me though. Her best friend... was that all I was to her? Nothing more?

'_It doesn't matter,'_ I thought as I faced her. _'Even if she only thinks of me as a friend, I'll protect her with my life.' _

"Xion," I whispered to her. When she didn't respond, I gently cupped her chin and turned her towards me. "Look at me Xion. What do you see?"

I took my hand off her chin, and she didn't turn away. She was completely spent from her outburst and the tears afterward, so she said nothing.

"Listen to me okay? Back at the apartment... you weren't supposed to see that. Lydia and I have been under a lot of stress lately. You of all people should have been able to notice all the tension over the last few weeks. This wasn't the first time that we've gotten into a fight believe me, and I don't think It will be the last." I rubbed my forehead tiredly. "Look, what I'm trying to say is... don't be afraid of me. Just because Lydia and I had a fight and I let out some of the wolf in me doesn't mean I lost myself. I have far better control than you may think." It was true. I was completely in control the entire time, and that's what scared me. If I was in control, why did I let Lydia bother me like that?

Xion looked confused. "But Axel said that you weren't in control. He told me to stay away until you recovered."

Huh. I'd have some choice words to say to him later on!

"Forget what Axel said," I said with a stern gaze. "He may know about a lot of things, but Lycans aren't one of them. He's got a lot to learn before he's on par with us."

Xion stared straight into my eyes, thinking over what I said. Her gaze was solemn, sad, and confused at the same time. The longer she looked at me, the more nervous I became. What goes on in girl's heads, specifically hers in particular, was still a mystery to me.

"I believe you, Roxas," she muttered quietly, shaking her head. "Do you think... you can forgive me for doubting you?"

"Of course Xion. To be truthful, I probably would have done the same in your place," getting up, I offered my hand to her again. "Now come on; I'm not done with you yet."

Well. Where the fuck did _that_ come from?

"Where are we going now?"

I smirked with mischief. "Somewhere special."

She hesitated for a moment, then smiled and took my hand. "Alright then."

**OKAY, so the reason why i was late was that this chapter and the next one (which is finished, i just have to edit it) were a single chapter. The draft ended up being SO big that i had to split chapter 31 in two- and I'm posting this first part now. I don't know when I'll end up posting the second part; maybe sometime next week after i get a head start on chapter 33. 'Till then, just read.**

**"and REVIEW!"**


	33. Excursion

**So yes, i decided to post today. sorry it's been so long- i got caught up with school work and got editor's block!:)**

**I hope all the rokushi fans like this chapter.**

I'd expected her to be a little more wary of me after all that but hey; I'm not complaining. As long as she wasn't sending out vibes of fear any more I was content. As for where we were going, I was planning on taking her into the woods to a nice spot on top of a cliff. I had no idea why I decided to take her there; I guess it was just a spur of the moment type thing. After helping Xion up and over the fence, we began walking into the trees. It would take us more than two hours to get to the place I mentioned on foot, but there was another way.

Though I had a sinking feeling she wasn't going to like it much.

"Hey Xion," I said, gently removing my hand from hers and moving a step away. "You trust me right?"

She looked at me funny. "I'm not sure I like where this is going."

"Just trust me, okay?"

Xion sighed, and then focused with a sharp look. "Alright, fine. I trust you. Now can you please tell me where we're going? I feel like I'm being kidnapped or something."

"Kidnapped...? Not so much. You're more along for the ride than anything; pardon the pun I guess."

Her eyes widened as I stepped back several more feet. "Hey wait! What do you mean 'along for the ride?'"

"You'll see. And don't move okay?" I said smoothly, and closed my eyes.

Calling upon the feeling inside, I felt a sudden flash of heat run through me. I guess the best equivalent would be a bolt of lightning; a bright line of heat that's there one second and gone the next. Falling foreword, I landed on my front paws and stretched out my back ones. It always felt good to be back in wolf form after any amount of time. It was just so exhilarating, so natural- I never got tired of it.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that." Xion piped up from in front of me. Hearing her voice, I opened my eyes and looked down at her. Xion's head was level with my shoulders, so I towered over her like a skyscraper. Lowering my massive head to her eye level, I walked foreword. When I was less than two feet away I muttered, _'You still trust me, right?'_

"Yes." She nodded.

'_Then hop on.'_

Her mouth dropped open in surprise. "Whoa, whoa! You want me to ride you? Like a _horse_?"

'_That's the idea.'_

Xion shook her head, horrified. "No way in hell Roxas! I refuse to treat you like some sort of animal. You're a person, not someone that I can take advantage of. I'm not going to ride you." She crossed her arms and faced the other way as if to say, 'that is final'.

'_Oh come on Xion, please? I'm the one who's giving you consent to ride of my own free will. And besides...'_ I paused for a delicious moment before pulling out my trump card. '_I know you want to anyway. I can feel your curiosity from here.'_

Her shoulders stiffened, then sagged in defeat as she turned back around. "Okay, you win. But if I fall off..."

'_You won't, Xion,'_ I chuckled as I lay down on the chilly forest floor. _'I won't let you fall.' _

"If you say so..."shesaid nervously, and then started to climb up. She used my left paw as a step then slung herself over onto my back. When Xion had righted herself, she was sitting just below my shoulder blades and clung to my thick neck fur.

'_You comfortable up there?' _I asked patiently, and slowly stood up.

"Somewhat,"She grunted, and shifted her weight a little. "It's not like I'm actually used to riding wolves."

'_Try leaning forward a bit. That way you can grip either side of my neck- there you go. Is that better?'_

"Much thanks."

'_Good. Now hold on tight!'_

With that, I started off with a slow trot, gradually working my way up to a run. Xion held up well; there wasn't a single complaint out of her the entire time. In fact, she seemed a little too silent. After a while I asked, _'you okay back there? You seem awfully quiet.'_

"Yeah," I heard her reply, though her voice was muffled by my fur. "This is amazing Roxas! You're going so fast I feel like I'm flying!

I couldn't think of anything else to say, so I just said, _'thank you Xion. I'm glad you like it.'_

To me, the rest of the trip stretched on for what felt like eons. To Xion, (who was enjoying herself greatly) it most likely felt like seconds. I ended up taking the long route just for her, and it took even longer. In addition, the path up to the rocky cliff was very dense with trees, slowing our progress to a fast trot. Once we were on top of the cliff though, the tree line abruptly stopped and I stepped out near a small rocky pond.

The pond itself wasn't very large; only about fourteen feet in diameter and was in a roughly circular shape. The bottom and edge of the pool were made of flat rock, and a few flowering plants were growing in and around it. The pool was fed by water flowing out between cracks of the cliff wall beside it, and another small stream flowed out of the pool and over the side of the ledge.

I'd only been to this spot during the day, and now I could see the shallow pool almost glowing with a shining light. The surface of the water was so calm... and the moons reflection was incredibly clear.

Near the pool but not too far from the forest's edge, there was a fallen tree lying parallel to the edge of the cliff. The tree must have fallen years before; soft looking moss had claimed most of its surface, and an assortment of vines and grasses were gently growing around it, seeming to embrace it like an old friend. The old tree blended in well, like something you'd miss at a first glance.

Still riding on my back, Xion gasped as I stepped out onto the ledge. "Oh Roxas..." she whispered as she put a hand over her mouth. "It's so beautiful!"

I smiled as best I could without freaking her out again. _'I thought you'd like it.'_ I said happily, lying down once more to let her off. This time she slid off easily, and gave me an over the shoulder smile of happiness before striding over to the pool. I watched her movements calculatingly; she really did look happy and I guess I had the right idea to bring her here.

Xion was crouched beside the pool, looking into its glowing depths as I silently padded up beside her and sat down. Gently cupping some of the crystal clear water in her hands and bringing it to her mouth, she sipped it and smiled once more. "This water is so pure... how did you manage to find this place Roxas?" she spoke, turning towards me. The light from the pool turned her face the colour of a bright and clear sky, and her eyes shone.

'_Purely by accident actually. Lydia lets me explore around all the time and I was thirsty one day. There are not too many lakes or rivers in this area, so all I had to do was follow the scent of the water and it led me here. I was surprised when I first saw it too; didn't think anything like this existed around here.'_

"I guess we just got lucky then huh?" she gave me another blinding smile before turning back towards the water.

Wait. Did she say 'we', as in 'we were lucky'? I felt my cheeks grow warm than and I was glad I had fur to hide them.

It got a little awkward after that, so I decided to change back. Once I was human again, I moved over to the fallen log and sat down. When Xion had noticed where I went, she came and sat down next to me. Glancing over to her, I saw that the expression on her face was one of complete happiness. Just seeing her like that made me want to jump for joy like an idiot.

Aside from the whole 'jumping for joy', I was also feeling something else. Something more... instinctual? It was hard to describe. I pushed it away though; nothing was going to ruin this time with Xion. "Are you feeling better now?" I asked.

"Roxas, right now I feel like I can take on an army and win without a scratch. Does that answer your question?" she laughed; not a high pitched or tinkling laugh, but one that came from the soul. Then she locked her gaze with mine, and I thought I felt my heart skip a beat. She truly was beautiful.

"I guess it does." I chuckled back. Xion continued to stare into my eyes, and I stared back. Something passed between us- something else that I couldn't describe- and almost unconsciously I started to lean towards her. Realizing what I was doing I stopped and turned away, my face turning as red as a tomato. And then I noticed it- that feeling from before, only it was stronger and more pronounced. I knew what it was now, and it only made me more embarrassed.

I was letting my wolfen instincts get the best of me!

"Roxas?" Xion asked. Her voice sounded neutral to me; I couldn't decipher how she was feeling. I was almost afraid to turn around, but I did anyway.

"Yeah, Xi-

And the next thing that I remember is her lips; soft like a cloud and warm as a summer breeze against mine. I remember that they tasted like cinnamon with a hint of cherries, and I remember kissing her too. I think if I had to describe what kissing Xion felt like in one word, I would have to say 'invigorating'. I'll admit to you right here; I did let some of the wolf in me out while we were doing what we did, but I was careful not to let it go any further. I may like Xion a lot, but I'd be safer just to stick with kissing. For now, at least.

After thirty amazing seconds Xion and I slowly leaned away, breathing heavily. That was hands down, the best thirty seconds of my life so far. I never knew kissing could be so... so good!

There was only one problem; now I knew I had to come up with some sort of interesting remark, a wise comeback or this would haunt me for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, the only thing I could think of to say was, "W-what was _that_?"

"_That_ was a kiss, silly." She frowned. "Don't tell me you didn't enjoy that."

"No no, I did! I just wasn't expecting that." I babbled, my face starting to burn again.

Xion's expression relaxed. "Good. Then I guess we're even."

Even? Oh yeah, from before. It was hard to focus on anything properly with my heart doing somersaults in my chest cavity. Xion's breath on my face was so sweet- it was making me lightheaded. I thought I might pass out.

"So... what now Xion?" I asked, trying to spark up a conversation. This close proximity was starting to make things awkward.

Sensing my discomfort and turning a little red herself, Xion leaned away and replied, "Let's just... watch the stars for a bit. Is that alright?"

"That's fine with me." I needed time to calm down anyway; there was no way I could shift like this.

Satisfied with my answer, she nodded and turned her eyes skyward as I did the same. Like the reflection on the surface of the pool, the night sky from this spot was so clear I swear I could see every single star, constellation, or otherwise.

There was a theory that had been passed around the organization a few times. The theory was that every single star in the night sky was a world- their light shining from billions of miles away. I still didn't know whether or not to believe in this theory, but the more worlds I visited or heard about the more I believed it was more than just a theory.

That got me thinking. What if it really _was _more than a theory and every speck of light up there was a world? How many of them had humans, if any? Do any of them have the same Heartless\Unversed\Nobody problem? And maybe... maybe some world still had Lycans. Maybe Lydia, Saix, and I weren't the only ones left. There was a chance, slim as it may be that we were not alone in our fight.

'_This must be what it's like to be an astronomer.' _I thought._ 'Asking questions about the universe, wondering if you're alone, making theories... it must be a very daunting job.'_

I wasn't sure when Xion had leaned against me, resting her head on my shoulder but suddenly I was holding her hand, squeezing it comfortingly and leaning my own head against hers. Thankfully she didn't pull away (though I didn't expect her to), and we continued to stargaze for a while.

Sometime between thirty minutes and an hour later I started to notice that Xion was yawning repeatedly, and her eyelids were getting heavy. All the hard work she does must make her tire easily; I was wide awake and still would be for another few hours. As much as I wanted to stay here though, I had to get Xion back to the castle with Axel in tow. She had a mission bright and early tomorrow morning, and the last thing I wanted was for her to be tired because of me.

"Hey Xion," I asked quietly, sitting up strait. "Maybe we should be heading back?"

"Yeah..."she said tiredly with a huge yawn. "Let's head back."

I stood up first, moving away several feet to avoid hurting Xion then shifted. I lay down on the ground like last time, keeping my body as low as possible. Xion climbed on without a word, sleepily positioning herself on my back. Once she was holding on I set off at a fast pace; not too fast that Xion would be jarred by my massive footfalls, but swift enough that we'd be back to the forest border on time.

Looking back on it now, I'm glad I spent this night with Xion. I didn't have that same chance for a _very_ long time.

**Yeah... not much else to say. i'm kinda busy, so if you guys could give me some feedback on the way out that would be GREAT.**

**"AND REVIEW!"**


	34. The Clm Before The Storm

**Wow. just wow.**

** I just... i can't believe how long and how_ incredibly difficult_ it was to write this chapter. On top of that, it really isn't that good either. **

** How long has it been? Like, two months? It seems like years. **

**So much for my christmas deadline.**

'_My brother... I still can't believe he's still alive...' _Lydia thought to herself._ 'After all this time thinking I was alone!' _

To her, this all seemed like some sort of bad dream. Lydia never expected to see Lea again after the fire. Hell, she herself never expected to leave the house alive. Lydia had felt ashamed for more than a year after the accident because of what had happened. She blamed herself for her mother and brother's deaths because she could not find them before fleeing the burning house. It was as if the two of them simply vanished into thin air. Lydia remembered her father telling her that he himself had looked for them, but also to no avail. This reassurance was short lived though, because her father had perished to save her. How could she not blame herself for those events?

In the two and a half hours since Roxas had left with Xion, the siblings had been catching up with each other and exchanging information. Lydia basically filled Lea in on what she told Roxas, plus a few private points that she didn't. It was a similar situation with the other pyro, though some points of his were quite shocking. At first she was surprised when she heard about what happened on the night Roxas first transformed, but she kept it well hidden. There was no point in freaking him out now; he would find out in due time.

At the moment, silence covered the room like a suffocating blanket. The two red heads were sitting across from each other on the couch, in the same positions that she and Roxas had taken when he first arrived. Lydia breathed in deeply, filling her lungs to full capacity then quietly exhaled. She was beginning to feel even more stressed already.

"You okay over there sis? You look a little pale." Axel piped up from his spot on the couch, and she smiled. Lydia had once said the exact same sentence to Roxas so long ago.

"Yeah... I'm just a little stressed. All this pressure with the Angels and having to mentor Roxas has taken its toll."

He nodded. "I know where you're coming from. The organization has a system for mentoring new members, but it isn't nearly as extensive as what you're doing for him. I had to teach one of the other members the basic stuff when he first arrived. Heh, Demyx was sure a riot back then."

Lydia paused. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"All of the organizations names are anagrams of their original ones, only with an 'X'. That's how they got my name. As for Demyx..."

"Myde," she whispered, putting the pieces together. "He was such a bright kid... he shouldn't have been taken by the darkness that easily. The Myde I know wouldn't give up without a fight."

Axel pulled a small smile. "I'm pretty sure you're right. You haven't seen Myde since he joined the organization; he may have a tendency to want to flee in dangerous times but he can hold his own if backed into a corner."

Lydia chuckled. "That sounds like him alright. He was never one for fighting, but I guess it's good that he is learning to defend himself. Do you know of anyone else we knew in this 'organization?'"

"You'd be surprised," he sighed. "Most of the members are from here- radiant garden that is. Let's see; there's Braig, he's number two in the orgy, though all I really know about him is that he's from here. Dilan used to be one of the guards from Ansem's castle, though he's called Xaldin now. Vexen was that creepy old scientist that never left the castle- I think his name was Even. Aeleus was the other guard to the castle, and his new name is Lexaeus."

Axel leaned backward, getting more comfortable. _Now it gets interesting._

"Okay, you remember Ienzo right? You know, Isa's cousin? Well he's number six in the orgy."

Lydia smiled as a mental picture of the teal-haired teen popped into her head. "Yeah, I remember him. He always used to hang out in the town library, though once and a while he and Isa came to visit. Very quiet."

"Speaking of Isa, he's number seven. He goes by the name of Saix now, and he's still obsessed with astronomy. He also used to be second-in-command but he lost his position."

"How did he lose his position?" she questioned with a small frown. "Isa isn't the type to just give up on things."

"When he started to come down with the 'lycan sickness' as Roxas puts it, he temporarily stepped down. Ienzo took his place. Even though it's been over a month since then, Saix hasn't moved to take back his position. Ienzo is a mysterious guy nowadays; and whether or not he can be trusted isn't up to me.

"Moving on," Axel continued, "I'm number eight. I already told you about Demyx so I'll skip him too. Number ten is Luxord, and he's even more mysterious than Ienzo. He likes to play poker with Xigbar and Xaldin sometimes, but once again that's about all I know. Marluxia... creeps me out. You'd remember him as Lumaria, the guy that worked in his mothers flower shop."

Lydia nodded- Lumaria would often be bullied or picked on by other kids in the neighbourhood because of his dull pink hair. More than once Lydia had tried to stop Lea and his friends (which would often include Isa) from bullying the poor boy, but after years of failed attempts she simply gave up on the matter entirely.

"This next one may surprise you, but do you remember Arlene?"

"Do I remember her?" Lydia snorted sarcastically. "How could I forget? I honestly have no idea how she and her brother could come from the same family, what with their vastly different personalities and all."

"Oh, I wouldn't bet on that," Axel said casually. "She treats her brother better now than she did before; she's a little more laid back. And... She's not that bad once you get to know her."

"Not bad once you get to kno- Lea, are you blushing? Don't tell me..."

Axel turned away as his face turned nearly as red as his hair.

"You do too! Wow... of all people, I never thought you would have fallen for _her_. Though I do think you two would make a good couple." Lydia said as she shot him a smug look.

"Can we stop talking about this please? I _do not_ like her!"

"That's bullshit and you know it." She deadpanned. "But I'll let it go for now- continue."

He frowned, but didn't complain. "Thanks. Anyway, the next ones in the organization would be Roxas and Xion. They joined about a week apart from each other, and seem to stick together like glue. Speaking of which, I've been meaning to ask you something- Roxas. Doesn't he remind you of..."

"Ventus?" she finished for him. "Yes, he does. I'm not quite sure what happened, but I know there's more going on with him or _inside_ him than he's letting on. I've lived with him for a month now, and I have definitely seen and heard Ventus in how he speaks, how he acts. There's no doubt in my mind that his spirit rests within Roxas in one form or another. The question is how, and if he is still alive, where is his body."

Axel pondered her words for several minutes before reaching his own conclusion. "What if the heart that Roxas now has is Ven's? I know it seems like an impossible theory but it fits. Maybe Ven willingly gave his heart to Roxas to help him, or because he needed help himself. If this is true, than he could still be alive someplace but that leads us back to your question of where."

Lydia grunted her agreement. "Yes. I'm going to keep an eye on him for now. If I find something I'll get back to you somehow okay?"

"That's fair. Xion can always pass messages between here and the orgy if we have to."

After a pause Axel muttered, "Hey Lydia, if you don't mind do you think you could call me Axel in front of those two? Just so they don't feel awkward."

"I don't see why not, _Axel_," she smiled. "I like it. The name suits you."

"So I've been told." He sighed, and absently lit a small flame over his right palm.

Lydia's eyes widened, but only slightly. "You too huh? And here I thought I was the only one."

"What?" he exclaimed, the small flame extinguishing itself.

"Watch this." She smirked, and also made a small flame over her hand. The only difference was the colour; Axel's flame was orange, while Lydia's was ice blue.

He blinked. "Well that's interesting. What do you think caused this?"

"My theory is that it had something to do with the fire." She replied as she controlled the still-burning flame. She shaped it into other objects such as a star, a necklace, and even a fiery dragon. "It must have affected us both somehow."

There was another slight pause as Lydia put out her flame and her face turned serious. "Lea, will you be ready when the time comes? To help us in our fight?"

Axel nodded. "Yes. I'll do whatever I can to support you if need be."

She smiled and nodded back. "Do you know if Isa wants to help as well?"

"I'm sure he does, but he can't get here on his own. I'll ask him tonight for you and see."

"Right, you do that." Stiffening, she looked up and concentrated for a moment. "Roxas and Xion are here."

"Coolio," Axel yawned. "Nice timing too. I'm tired." He said as he stood up.

"Oh, don't tell me my talking bored you that much," she smiled as she stood up and took a step towards her brother. "You disappoint me."

Axel laughed. "Ha ha, very funny. Now do I get a hug before I leave, or are you too old for th-

He was interrupted by long arms wrapping around him and being pulled into a tight embrace.

"-that." He finished, hugging his sister back.

"If you tell either of them about this, I will kill you." She growled menacingly.

Axel chuckled as he backed out of the hug. "Yes, _Mom_," he teased. "Of course."

She smirked and crossed her arms. "Good. So now that that's over with..." Lydia pointed to the entrance.

Almost on cue, Roxas and Xion walked through the door. Xion looked exhausted, but the redness on her cheeks was unmistakeable. As for Roxas, he seemed more than a little embarrassed. Looking closer, Lydia could see he had the same blush on his cheeks as Xion.

She frowned at him disapprovingly. "What have you guys been up too? As If I don't already know."

Roxas paused, his eyes raking over the two. By the way his harsh gaze lingered on her, Lydia knew that he was still sore about earlier. "You're one to talk." He spat, gesturing to the siblings standing beside each other.

Stifling another yawn, Axel stepped in between the two Lycans. "Hey now, don't start arguing again. The last thing I want to do is break up a fight with my Chakrams."

Lydia grunted. "And we all know what will happen if it comes to that." Axel gave her a knowing look and Roxas turned his head away in disgust.

"So I'll see you again tomorrow, right Roxas?" Xion asked nervously in an attempt to change the subject.

"Yeah, of course." He replied, and Xion smiled. Roxas smiled back happily, almost _too_ happily. Lydia frowned. Surely one kiss couldn't change their relationship that fast!

'_**Teenagers will be teenagers. Give him a break though; people his age have raging hormones controlling their every move.'**_ Her spirit partner Cressania spoke up quietly from within her head. Though seldom heard, she was always the voice of reason and comic relief in tight situations. _**'And don't forget that it **_**is**_** mating season.'**_

'_That's true,'_ she replied thoughtfully. _'Though I still don't like this.'_

'_**You don't have to. Just go easy on him okay? Remember what I said.' **_

'_Alright. And thank you.' _

'_**Anytime.' **_She said softly, and faded back into her mind.

"Well I guess we should get going then," Axel spoke up. "We both have missions tomorrow don't we Xion?"

"I wish we didn't. It's not going to be easy getting out of bed tomorrow. I can't believe I managed to break my alarm clock- now it goes off anytime save for when I actually need to get up."

"I can always give you a wake-up call."

"_No."_ Roxas said forcefully, giving him a murderous look.

Axel laughed. "Relax man, I'm just kidding," turning to Xion and opening up a dark corridor he said, "Let's go."

"Right. Goodnight Roxas." Xion waved and disappeared through the portal.

Axel gazed at the two remaining individuals in the room warily. "Are you two going to be okay here?"

"We'll be fine Axel, go home. I have to have a word with my apprentice."

"Alright then if you're sure..." he said, and also vanished through the corridor. Several seconds later, the portal itself faded out of existence.

"Sit down Roxas. We have things to talk about."

Rolling his eyes and moving towards the sofa, he sat heavily into the cushions. "Shoot." He muttered shortly.

Taking her time, she made her way over to the couch, not taking her eyes off of him. Irritation prickled her scalp and she frowned. His shitty attitude was beginning to rub off on her.

Before she could say a word he snapped, "You had no right to look through my head. That was supposed to be private."

Lydia sighed heavily. "As long as you are my apprentice, nothing is private. I have every right to know where you've been and what you've been up to. I don't approve of you and Xion... together."

"It's none of your business who I get together with! And what's wrong with Xion and I the way we are?"

"I don't trust her Roxas."

"_Why_!" he roared, clenching his fists. "Just because she's still in the organization doesn't mean we can't trust her! If I can trust her that much, why can't you?"

Lydia crossed her arms and shook her head. "It's not that. I have no problem with her in the organization; if she was willing she could be a spy for us. It's her scent Roxas... she reeks of darkness!"

Shocked into silence, he said nothing.

"Listen to me. I know you have feelings for her and all but we can't afford to take risks at this point. I know you've been avoiding it, but you can't tell me you haven't noticed her darkness become stronger these last few weeks."

He paused with a dismayed expression on his face. "But... what about Axel? They both have the scent of darkness."

"That's just it. Yes they both carry the scent, but the darkness within Xion is far stronger than that of a normal nobody." She leaned forward for emphasis. "That's not healthy Roxas."

"How's that possible? And how can you be sure that this darkness is coming from her? She could have gotten it from somewhere else."

She shook her head again. "You know as well as I do that that's not the case. There's something going on with her that I don't like." Looking away for a moment, she slowly uncrossed her arms before continuing quietly. "If you're going to be with her, at the very least be alert. Someone with that much darkness could become unstable quickly."

Roxas sighed, roughly running his hands through his blonde spikes. "Yeah, whatever." He said.

After another small pause, Lydia stood and said, "I'm sorry to have been so harsh with you earlier, and my comments about Xion. Please know that I don't mean a word of It." with that, she turned and retired to her room for the night.

Shaking his head slightly, Roxas folded the sofa back out. Following his mentors lead he got into bed and quickly fell asleep.

**Shit. I forgot to warn about Lydia's obsene comment. Oh well. I don't care much anymore. Does it show?**

**Not that i'm planning on quitting my writing though. I'm going to finish this if its the last thing i do!**

**If you could leave me a reveiw on the way out that would be GREATLY appreciated. **


	35. The Angels Make Their Move

**Holy Farore everyone! Its been waay too long since my last update hasent it? Well don't worry- this chapter will not dissapoint.**

**Why do i say that? Muahahaha! Read and find out!**

_His Master was calling him._

_The hooded figure walked down the darkened hallways to his Masters' quarters without pause. He had been summoned for an audience; he had a good inkling of why- it was about time to go and 'collect'- , but he still didn't have much of a choice. Moving with calculating swiftness, he traversed through the maze-like halls until he eventually came to double ornate doors with a heavy brass handle on each. Gripping the handle on the right, he knocked twice and waited. Barley a second had passed before the door opened with a low creak. Stepping through, the figure was not startled at all by the fact that there was no one on the other side. _

_Letting the heavy door shut behind him, he continued walking. The figure was now in a long, thin hall with an incredibly high ceiling. There was one last door at the end of the hallway. When he reached it, he turned the handle and walked through without knocking. _

_Inside was nearly pitch black, the only source of light coming from a throne several feet away. On this sat another adult figure with its hood up, sitting in a confident position with arms crossed. _

_Slowly, the hooded boy dropped down onto one knee and lowered his head. "I have come, Master." _

_The figure on the throne made no movement or sound to acknowledge the boy for several minutes, and then with a small sigh it spoke. "Do you know why I have called you here?" The voice was unmistakably feminine with a slight accent._

"_I believe so, Master. You want me to fetch the girl?" he said quietly, keeping his head down. _

"_Yes," she said, her voice soft but with a hint of venom. "But I also have another task for you."_

_Waiting patiently for her to respond, the male figure did not move. "What would you ask of me?"_

"_My task for you is simple. I want you to bring the girl to me today by sundown, making sure that filthy Lycan she keeps as company knows who took her. Then on the night of the lunar solstice, I want you to return there and slaughter as many Lycans as you can. They will be weak with grief and anger; two emotional weak points that we can exploit. I'll give you as much power as I can from here, so that we might be rid of the Lycans for good. Can you do this for me?"_

_He smiled, flashing his snow white fangs. "Of course Master." _

_The female figure flashed a sinister smile of her own. "Good. You may rise."_

_Getting to his feet once more, the figure was about to turn and leave when his Master motioned for him to approach. _

"_Come now, take off that hood," She said when he came within two feet of her. "Let me see that handsome face of yours."_

_Hesitantly, the figure lowered his hood revealing his features. Reaching foreword, the woman placed a hand on his deathly pale face, tracing his jaw line with one finger before moving to a spiked lock of black hair. Her eyes stared into his glowing amber ones without blinking. Quietly she began to speak. "You will follow my orders. Steal the girl. Kill the Lycans."_

_With a faraway look in his eyes, he responded with a quick, "Yes Master."_

_Pleased with his response, she removed her hand from his face and he recoiled as if he had been struck. The woman took no notice of this._

"_Good." She nodded. "You have your orders. Now go!"_

_**-Till November-**_

Despite being completely exhausted from the previous night, both Xion and Axel rose early the next morning. Yawning and rubbing their eyes, they met in the mess hall for a breakfast of warm cinnamon rolls, diced apples and spiced tea.

Quietly sipping at her tea, Xion thought about the day ahead. She already knew what her mission was for the day thanks to Axel- He had told her that they had a simple heart collection mission in twilight town. Simple, quick and easy. Xion had a feeling that Axel was responsible for Zexion's choice in missions.

Sitting across from her at the table, Axel picked at his cinnamon roll with minimal interest. Xion glanced up at him nervously. She had come to the conclusion that there seemed to be something wrong with him several days before. It was highly possible that all of what was happening was getting to him, but at the same time Axel wasn't one to let things like this bother him. _'There must be something else to this...'_

She was jolted out of her thoughts then when Axel accidentally broke his plastic fork in half. He swore quietly, picking up the pieces of his broken utensil and went to get another one.

"Are you okay Axel?" Xion asked him when he returned to his seat. "You seem... sick almost. Have you been getting enough sleep?"

He nodded tiredly, popping a small piece of his cinnamon roll into his mouth. "Sleep's not the problem."

"Then what is?"

Shaking his head, he swallowed the piece of cinnamon roll. "Nothing Xion. It's none of your concern."

"Of course it is! You're my friend. Friends look out for each other. Let me help you."

Axel put a hand on his temples and sighed loudly. "Enough with the interrogation Xion, it's too early for this."

Frowning, she crossed her arms in annoyance. "If you just tell me what's wrong, I might be able to help. Stop beating around the bush Axel! Are you sick or not?"

He sighed again. "Yes. But before you ask I know exactly what's wrong with me, and I'll be better in a few days. Is that enough of an explanation for you?"

After a long pause, she lowered her gaze and looked away. "Not really. But luckily for you, I don't feel like pressing the issue."

"Good." He said, and they ceased conversation to continue eating.

_**-Till November-**_

Later that afternoon, Axel and Xion had returned to the castle from their mission. It had gone well, with no major complications along the way. That was how it was in Axel's eyes, but not in Xion's.

During a fight with a particularly strong heartless, she came dangerously close to losing control of her dark powers in front of Axel. Her wings had threatened to come out as they always did when practicing dark magic but somehow she managed to contain it and defeat the heartless. Luckily for her Axel did not notice the brief rise in darkness from her; that or he simply didn't comment. Xion resolved to be more careful in the future and to practice her control.

At the moment she was sitting on the edge of her bed, completely lost in thought. On one hand, she was embarrassed despite herself that she could screw up like that on a mission. On the other, she was furious with herself for losing control in the first place.

'_Calm down Xion...'_ she thought to herself soothingly while taking deep breaths. '_I can't see Roxas like this. He'll know what's going on the second he senses my presence. This was just a little slip up, nothing more. An accident. They happen to everyone._

'_Then why do I still feel on edge?'_

Now that she thought about it, she was still feeling quite nervous. It wasn't the battle with the heartless anymore...that feeling had passed. Then what...?

'_Oh no...Not now. _Please_ not now!'_

This was another premonition- she was sure of it. And this time, it was worse. Much worse.

Quickly getting up from her bed, she began gathering supplies. Anything that could easily and inconspicuously be fit into pockets and the folds of her clothing, she considered taking. The last two premonitions she had received had fallen on deaf ears- there was no way for her to prepare or defend against the effects of them in turn. She was determined not to have the same thing happen a third time around; with her powers and newfound strength she would defend Roxas against anything, even if it meant being exposed for who she really was.

There was a quiet but sudden knock at the door which made her jump. "Xion? Can I talk to you for a moment before you go?"

That was Axel's voice coming from the other side of her door. "Yeah. Come in." She'd wanted a word with him anyway.

Silently he opened the door and walked in, closing it behind him. There was a brief pause as Axel studied her expression. "You look like you have something to say." He commented.

She nodded. "I do but... you first."

"Right. Well. Um..." Axel cleared his throat, his face taking on an awkward expression. "Xion just...be careful, okay?"

"Yes. Is that it?"

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Actually, yeah. I somehow get the feeling that you're leaving or something."

Xion turned her head away. "I think so too."

He frowned. "Don't tell me you're quitting the organization."

She shook her head, turning back towards him. "If only it were as simple as that. The truth is, I know im leaving. I just don't know for how long, or if I'll even come back at all.

"Axel," she continued, "I need you to do me a favour. If I don't come back to the organization, or at least back to radiant garden, will you make sure that he stays safe?"

After only a moment's hesitation, he nodded. "Yeah. I don't know what you're up to Xion, but you don't really need to ask that. I'm his friend too."

Smiling sadly, she pulled him into a small hug. "Thank you Axel."

"Anytime," He mumbled before backing out of the hug. Immediately after, Xion took several steps away to create a dark corridor- her destination was obvious.

"Not even going to say goodbye?" he called with a smirk on his face.

Stopping for a moment she mumbled, "No. I know for a fact this isn't goodbye and besides," Turning to look over her shoulder, she addressed him with a smirk of her own. "I have a blind date with destiny right now, and I _wouldn't_ want to make him wait."

And with that she walked through the corridor, leaving Axel and the rest of the organization behind.

_**-Till November-**_

Once Xion had traversed through the dark corridor she promptly arrived in radiant garden directly in front of the woods. Gazing into its green depths, she continued to take deep breaths to calm herself. Roxas would be here soon.

"Hey Xion!"

Too soon, apparently. Turning back towards the city she spotted the two Lycans walking towards her at a relaxed pace. Without warning, the feeling of the premonition intensified and she found herself sprinting towards him. Whatever it was that she was being alerted to, it was about to happen _very_ soon.

"Roxas don't move!" she shouted in warning. He complied, giving her a strange look as she skidded to a halt in front of him. Summoning her keyblade as a reflex, she stood in a battle ready position while facing the forest. Seeing this, Roxas and his companion also summoned their weapons promptly.

"Whats going on Xion?" Lydia muttered in a harsh whisper. Xion was too caught up in the moment to notice that this was the first time she had called her by her actual name. "Just stay focused. Something's coming, and I'm positive it's a threat."

'_Oh, im not so sure about that...' _

Spinning around and raising her blade, she was able to parry the mysterious strangers own weapon. Her eyes were met with the hauntingly familiar gear-shape and azure pupils of his keyblade, along with the white marked black coat that he wore to hide his identity.

The dark figure had returned.

"You again!" Xion spat in disgust as she struggled to push him back. The two keyblades grinding against one another was creating a sound akin to nails on a chalkboard.

"What, you miss me?" the figure chuckled in a small bout of maniacal laughter. "And here I thought you never wanted to see me again."

Twin guttural snarls erupted from behind him then as Roxas and Lydia leapt through the air towards him, their keyblades both aiming for his neck. They were aiming to kill.

As if they were nothing but bothersome flies, the figure summoned a sudden gale that threw the two wolves back towards the forest gate. Both hitting the ground hard, they struggled to recover from the painful blow.

"Don't interfere with matters not your own you filthy Lycans!" he screamed over his shoulder at the fallen werewolves. Taking the opportunity of momentary distraction, Xion shoved her opponent's blade off her own and stabbed at the center of his unprotected chest. With a cry of pain that quickly cut itself off, the figure disappeared into black feathers once more. Looking around wildly she swiftly made her way to Roxas' side, making sure he had not suffered any major injuries before turning her attention to Lydia. Fortunately she was also unhurt, if only a bit winded by the fall. Positive they were both alright, she stood and stepped several feet away from the Lycans.

"Show yourself you coward! Come out and fight like a man!" she roared, her gaze flicking around the outer gardens in pure rage. "Come and fight me you bastard!"

Black feathers swirled around in a vortex directly ahead as the figure deposited himself onto the ground once more. Only now could she see his large magnificent wings, which had gained an eerie blue glow. "Gladly," he called back to her smugly from ten feet away. She could almost _hear_ the cocky smirk in his voice.

"But does this really have to come to violence?" he drawled on, crossing his arms across his muscled chest. "I would rather not fight you if I can help it."

Xion paused in confusion. Just as she was about to respond, Roxas piped up from behind her, "Who are you?" he shouted roughly. Turning towards the blonde, Xion saw his dark blue eyes smoldering with an intense hatred.

"Ah, Ventus. I almost forgot you were there!" the figure cackled, turning towards the surprised blonde. "How did you manage to survive my master's attack now hmm?"

After a slight glance backward to confirm that he was as confused as she was, Xion turned back towards the figure and challenged, "Tell us who you are first!"

His arms uncrossed then as he dismissed his dark keyblade. "Have it your way then..." he muttered, and slowly removed his hood.

Xion's dark eyes were instantly met with spiky jet black hair that framed his face in a familiar style; she shuddered when she realized where she had seen it before. His eyes were even more intimidating, amber orbs radiating pure insanity. As the trio continued to stare in shock, his mouth curved upwards into a sinister smile flashing sharp, inhuman fangs.

"My name is Vanitas."

Beside her, Roxas stiffened in cold horror. Something within him recognized that name. He knew this person... but at the same time he didn't.

Volatile emotions ran through him like molten lava. Rage and hatred was coming off him in waves. Xion was almost bowled over from the force of it.

"You!" he shouted, his eyes flashing with pure malice. "How dare you show your face here again!" now he was confused. Where had those words come from?

The figure in black, whose name was now revealed to be Vanitas, gave Roxas an odd look before nodding his head. "I see now. You have taken Ventus' heart as your own, and now he is speaking through you. Interesting." He commented, crossing his arms. "I never would have thought that he'd have the capacity to transfer his heart to someone else... hey Ventus! Can you hear me in there? Or are you just a rotting corpse along with your friends?"

"Fuck you!" Roxas roared back. "You killed Terra and Aqua and left me to die! You were my friend you fucking psychopath! How could you!"

"So you are in there after all..." he smirked. "To answer your question though, I enjoy killing. It's as simple as that. Your friends were the perfect targets for me to vent. I never needed another reason to do what I did."

Glancing backward at the setting sun, he turned back around and sighed. "Oh, look at the time. Guess I have to leave now... _but not before I get my prize._"

Without warning, Xion silently dropped to the ground. Via their mental connection, Roxas could tell instantly that she had been put into a magic- induced coma.

Before he could even react, Vanitas appeared in front of her, quickly scooping her up in his arms. _'Mine.'_ He mouthed, before summoning another gale and lifting off from the ground.

Turning in mid air he taunted, "Catch ya later dog boy!" before flying off towards the city at a break-neck pace.

Shaken out of his stupor, Roxas leaped after them, shifting on the fly. Pushing his legs to go faster than ever before, he desperately gave chase. If he could reach them before they flew past the city wall then he might have a chance-

But it was too late. With an unexpected burst of speed, Vanitas and Xion rocketed over the wall and out of sight.

Forced to stop metres away from the underground passage, Roxas glared skyward in the direction the two fled. How could he have let them just get away? They were so close and he just let them slip between his claws!

Seconds later Lydia padded up beside him in her wolf form. Brushing against him gently she murmured, _'Im sorry Roxas. You did all you could. There was nothing else you could have done.' _

'_Im going to get her back,' _He stated angrily as a loud growl rumbled in his chest_. 'And when I do, im tearing Vanitas to pieces for what he did to us!' _

Raising his head, a beastly roar that echoed for miles burst out of his gaping jaws. He wanted Vanitas to hear him- him and all of his anger, frustration. It was sent as a challenge.

But most of all, he roared for _revenge._

**So yeah. HEEEEERES VANITAS! **

**You guys have no idea how long i've waited to reveal him (Since last march, actually. Now that i think about it. That is a loooooong time!)! It was really fun to write his character, though i think i may be going a bit overboard when it comes to the whole 'psycotic madman' thing. And to top that off this was just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Theres a lot more madness to come.**

**Vanitas: *cakles madly in the background***

**Quiet, you. **

**Anyway, i hope those of you who still read this liked it, and i look foreward to those of you who take the time to REVIEW. *nudge nudge* Pretty please. I need some encouragement right now.**

**Eh he he he, see you later!**


	36. The Warning

**Roxas is going to kill me for keeping this from you guys for so long. o-O**

**Do me a big favor- read. Fast.**

"I have to warn him, Lydia."

"I said _no_, Roxas. It's too dangerous to show your face at that castle, let alone going by yourself," She responded, her voice sounding very close to a snarl. "So put it out of your head."

I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes in frustration. If it wasn't already bad enough with Xion kidnapped by that creep Vanitas yesterday, now I had to deal with Ventus' presence inside me all the time. He hadn't spoken since his earlier outburst, but I had a feeling that he had plenty of questions for the red head in front of me. Now that I thought about it, the feelings he'd had for her were starting to rub off on me already. Which made every moment with her that much more awkward.

And it gave me an excuse to get away, even if it was only for a little while.

"Im not a child, Lydia. I can handle myself in just about any situation they can throw at me," Running a hand gently through my blonde hair, I paused to gather my thoughts. "And besides, he needs to know about what happened here. If we don't warn him, the organization will start searching for her immediately. This way at the very least, he might be able to buy us a few weeks of leeway."

"And then what, Roxas?" she snapped back. Clearly the encounter with Vanitas had her, as well as the rest of us, on edge. I myself was barely keeping it together. "Run for the hills when they send out their scouts? Cower in a corner and surrender? It's not going to happen Roxas! We're in enough shit as it is!"

With a loud sigh, I shot her a serious look. "I'm fully aware of the situation, okay? Now hear me out. I know the castle layout better than you and can easily be in and out in less than ten minutes. We have allies there, one of which is a fully fledged lycan that can be of great help to us. The other of which is _your brother_, for god's sake! We need them Lydia, much as you might hate to admit it."

Lydia turned her back to me with a snort. She knew I was right, but like I said before she was just too damn proud for her own good. "Look, this is really important. The positives far outweigh the nega-

"Stop," she muttered without turning back around. After a long pause in which I shuffled my feet impatiently, she said quietly, "You'd better come back Roxas. Alive."

I nodded my thanks, mentally sending her a short wave of gratitude before turning and creating a light portal. I was now on a limited time frame; the longer I waited to warn them, the less time we had to plan our next move.

**-Till November-**

Travelling through the corridor only took a few minutes, and on the other side I emerged in the dark city. The safest location to exit- this place was free of prying eyes that would blow my cover.

It was strange though, coming back here. Back to the place I had spent most of my nobody days, where I had returned to at the end of the day after missions... looking at the castle now I felt something like loathing for it. That was probably just my lycan instincts kicking in though. Lydia was right- this place absolutely _reeked_ of darkness.

Rubbing my nose with the back of my hand and attempting to ignore the overwhelming stench around me, I stealthily made my way towards the castle. Out of habit, I carefully waded through several puddles of rainwater to try and cover my scent. It wasn't like anyone would be able to track me here- save for maybe Saix- but it wouldn't do me any good to get lazy. When you live like I do now, any precaution you can take is a necessary one.

Stiffening at the sound of quiet, almost nonexistent footsteps behind me, I silently summoned my blade. Turning around and raising it I shouted, "I know you're there. Show yourself!" Trying and failing to identify the person by scent, I mentally cursed myself for not wearing something with a hood.

Stepping out of the shadows of a nearby building, a hooded organization member revealed himself. Though he had no weapon, I readied myself for a fight anyway. Whoever it was couldn't be left to blab to the rest of the organization. If word got out that I was ali-

"Relax, XIII," came a familiar voice from under the hood. Lifting a hand he removed it, betraying platinum blue hair.

"Saix," I muttered in relief, lowering and dismissing my keyblade. Speak of the devil. If it wasn't for the stink of darkness I would have been able to catch his scent. "It's good to see you."

"Likewise," he grunted in reply. "But from what I can tell, all is not as it should be. Something happened to Xion, correct?"

"Yes. She's-

Saix waved his hand, cutting me off. "I know, Roxas. I merely needed confirmation. Give me the details later." He gestured to the castle. "Lea is in his room. Use a corridor to go strait there, then meet me back here in ten minutes."

"Right." I said shortly. Saix had a profound sense of power over me, and I felt obligated to obey. I would definitely inquire about that later.

For now though, I did what I was told. Exiting the light corridor I had created only seconds before I saw that Axel was indeed in his room, eating what I assumed to be his dinner.

"Jezzus!" he coughed, nearly choking on his food. Once he had swallowed the mouthful and put down his meal, he lowered his voice into a harsh whisper. "The hell are you doing here man? You know you're not supposed to be here!"

"Xion's been kidnapped," I stated bluntly while ignoring his sudden look of shock. "One of the Angels took her."

"Shit!" he muttered in disbelief and dismay. "How could he have... can you feel her? Is she still alive?"

I looked him in the eyes, determination no doubt showing in my own. "Yes. Of that I'm certain. And even though she's been captured I know she can survive. She'll pull through." A beat. "But listen Axel. With her gone, the organization will be hard- pressed to find and bring her back. That means search parties. More search parties means a more likely chance of them stumbling upon Lydia and I. You see where I'm going with this?"

"Yeah," He responded instantly. "Don't worry; I'll keep them of your trail for a while- pardon the pun."

Ignoring that last statement I nodded my approval, quickly reforming the light corridor that had brought me here. "Thanks. Sorry I can't stay longer but this is all I'm willing to risk right now."

"That's all right," He responded, then gestured to the corridor. "You should go. Be careful out there man."

"Will do; and I'll tell your sister you said hi." I said with a smirk, vanishing into the corridor once again.

Almost instantly I was back in the dark city, standing directly under Memories Skyscraper. Noticing my reappearance, Saix came around the corner of one of the buildings nearby.

"So do you want the shortened version or the whole thing?" I asked him sarcastically once he came close enough.

He chuckled lightly. "Only the short version. That's all we have time for- and I have something to say myself."

Without hesitation I quickly charged into my story, giving him a brief but thorough run down of what happened and the position we now found ourselves in. He didn't say much through my explanation, save for the occasional 'Mm', or a nod of his head.

"Right, that about covers it," I concluded. "Now what did you want to say?"

"I quit."

"…Say what?" My jaw hung slack in disbelief.

Saix, one of the most powerful members of the organization, formally _second in command_…wanted to quit? I didn't think he had it in him.

An uncharacteristic smirk made its way onto his face. "You heard right. And contrary to your belief, I no longer have a need to be here. I'm a useless pawn in this game now. If I have no use for a heart, then why should I continue this frivolous mission to acquire one? I would much rather quit and actually be of use to someone then sitting on my ass all day _pretending_ to be a Lycan. I need to be free."

I shook my head- that was pretty deep stuff coming from a guy that used to show next to no emotion at all before all of this happened. Strange what a little personality changing transformation will do to a guy. "I definitely hear you Saix, and I know first had where you're coming from."

"Yes. And I would leave with you tonight, but there is one problem- transportation. You may have come far from when you first started your training, but I can tell from here that you cannot create and sustain a light portal for more than one person at a time. Along with the fact that I have a few last minute preparations to put in order before I can leave."

Unfortunately that was true, and he did have a point.

"Does Axel know about this?" I asked, steering the conversation in a different direction.

Saix shook his head. "No. I'm going to tell him tomorrow though and as soon as both of us are able, we will meet you there. Agreed?"

"Agreed." I smiled, clenching my fist with determination. Now we really had a fighting chance!

"Until then, let's just hope that the gods have some mercy on us." He said tiredly, trying and failing to stifle a yawn.

"Ditto," I stretched, feeling the muscles in my arms pull. "I'm going to head back now though; the smell of this place is really starting to get to me. How do you stand it all day long?"

"Overexposure has made me immune I guess," he shrugged, turning around to head back to the castle. With a small wave he quietly called back, "Good night Roxas."

"Night." I replied, and then departed back to Radiant Garden.

Back home.

**-Till November-**

I returned to Lydia's apartment several short minutes later. Looking around as I exited the portal, I spotted her sitting on the sofa facing away from me. I could tell from here that she was very tense.

As my light portal silently faded away, I whispered, "Lydia."

Her reaction was instantaneous. Shooting up from her seat she spun around, her eyes locking with mine. Uncharacteristic worry was evident on her face. "Roxas," she said quietly. "Oh thank the gods you're back!"

I frowned. "Are you okay Lydia? I know what I just did was reckless, but I didn't think you would worry that much."

Flustered by her lack of composure, she crossed her arms and responded in her regular tone. "You're my apprentice. It's my job to worry about you. You're like a little brother to me." _'You and Lea…'_ She whispered to herself as an afterthought, and I didn't comment on that.

That moment with Saix earlier still unnerved me though. What was it that made me do exactly what he said without so much as a word out of my mouth? He never had that kind of control over me before so why now?

Noticing the question in my eyes, she motioned me towards the couch. The only reason she didn't already know what was going through my head was the mental barriers I had built up around it. The only way she would be able to get through that kind of barrier is for me to let her get past. And right now, I would rather talk out my problems then open myself to her like a frog for dissection.

"Whats on your mind?" she asked almost ironically. "And what else happened?"

I sighed loudly. "Well first off, you will be pleased to know that the mission was a complete success. Both Saix and Axel want to join us, and the only reason they didn't come back with me is because of transportation problems- you know what im talking about."

"And the other thing?" she gently prompted.

Not quite knowing how to get the words out without her getting the wrong idea, I ran a hand through my hair and growled quietly.

"…Saix," I started. "He… When I talked to him and he explained to me where Axel was, I sort of felt… like he had control over me or something. And when he told me to meet him back in the dark city, I didn't really even get a say in that matter. I just went, like I was following orders." I sighed again, quieter this time. "I'm not making any sense am I?"

"Actually, I'd say that makes perfect sense," seeing my raised eyebrows she continued, "There was one thing I forgot to mention to you in your training because I didn't think it would make much of a difference. But now that it's out on the table I might as well."

"What do you mean?"

Now it was her turn to sigh. "Who bit you Roxas?"

"Huh?"

"Who turned you?"

I blinked a couple times. Why was she asking me this? "Uh, Saix I guess."

"Well there's your answer. Now before you ask again, let me explain. When a fully blooded lycan bites and turns someone, that someone becomes the Lycans apprentice. And as a part of that package deal, the older lycan gains the power of superiority over the apprentice until they complete their apprenticeship. Meaning whatever the mentor orders, the apprentice must follow out. And because I wasn't the one to turn you…"

"…You and I both fight for the right of superiority all the time," I finished. Now I understood- and it makes sense too. The Lycans of old wouldn't want the younger, more inexperienced Lycans to get into too much trouble, so they must have added that in later as a sort of security measure. Probably a good idea on their part. "And we can never properly sort out who's in charge because you are older and should rightfully be my mentor…"

"…But you also have Ven's heart within you, who was supposed to be _my_ mentor. Geez Louise! Talk about confusing!" she said with a laugh. "That guy is so stubborn he's _still_ trying to tell me what to do!"

We both shared a laugh at that one. And despite the situation I did feel a spark of happiness within my chest. Though whether that was me, or Ventus listening in I don't know. Im just glad that he's there.

And when I go into battle with those bastard angels, to fight and to _win_, at least I won't be going in alone.

**"I TOLD YOU NOT TO LEAVE THIS TO THE LAST MINUTE! And look what happened!" **

**i know Roxas, shut up for a mintue. i have things to say to them!**

**so again, sorry for the *extreme* lateness. i was suffering through a horrible case of writers block and was buried under mounds of homework. next chapter will be a bit of a surprise too- in more ways than one. **

**one last thing- feel free to flame me if you want. i think i deserve it by now. T-T**


	37. Corruption

_**Edit: Noticed a couple of minor mistakes, fixed them. Carry on. :)**_

**Hah? Whats this? An update? Already? **

**You guys better be thankful. I sacrificed sleep for this.**

'_**...on...'**_

'_**...n...'**_

'_**...ion...'**_

'_**...Xion...'**_

'_**XION!'**_

She woke with a start, panting as if she had been running a marathon. Panicked questions immediately began to form in her head. _'Where am I? What happened? Where is...?'_

'_Stop,' _the rational part of her mind thought._ 'Focus Xion. Remember what you've been taught.' _

Taking deep breaths to steady her breathing and calm her erratic pulse, Xion slowly sat up from where she had been lying. Looking around with a sharp eye, she noticed almost instantly that she was in some sort of room. It was almost perfectly squared, or at least it was to her. There was no closet, no furniture, and no lights, save for the fake skylight in the ceiling. The only other thing that was truly noticeable in the room was the door; what looked to be a high calibre, expensive, made-out-of-rare-wood door. One that its owner wouldn't be too happy about were it to be damaged.

She felt like punching a hole through it.

Because in that time that it took her to analyze the area around her, she had already remembered what had happened prior to the event of her waking up to this cell-like room. She had been kidnapped. Forced into a coma by magic, she had been powerless to stop herself from being taken in the first place. And judging by the fact that she had been laying on a cold hard floor for the last several hours, Roxas had been just as successful.

At least she knew he was still alive, though. Xion knew that Vanitas couldn't have carried her and fought Roxas at the same time, and he was alive when she was knocked unconscious. That left her with a small amount of relief, knowing that he was fine for now and capable of taking care of himself.

That brought up the next issue- herself.

Knowing Vanitas, he had used some form of teleportation to escape without leaving a trail for Roxas to follow. Meaning that as hard as he may try, he couldn't rescue her.

Meaning she would have to get out of here on her own.

But how? That door looked pretty solid; if she tried to break it open the only thing she would most likely gain from it was a bruised shoulder. Not to mention the attention of every man, angel, or other hellish creature that may walk the halls outside of her cell. And because there were no windows, there was no way of telling what was on the other side of those walls. The worst-case scenario in that situation being her cell on the outside of the building facing open air, storeys above solid ground. And though she could summon her wings at any point, she hadn't actually _flown_ with them yet. That option was too risky.

No sooner than the thought of escaping via portal had entered her mind, her head snapped towards the door. She didn't need to hear to know something was coming; she could feel it. Strong, dark energy was moving through the halls towards her cell. The energy signature was obvious- it belonged to Vanitas.

Soon after, she heard him stop in front of the door. After a small pause she heard a loud click and the door swung open. Like she previously thought Vanitas stood in the door, wearing a tight fitting dark grey shirt, and a pair of black geans. Disgusted by his presence, she started to back up towards the opposite wall.

"Well good morning _poppet_," He drawled with a very insincere smile. Stepping inside he closed the door behind him, effectively cutting off her retreat. "How'd you sleep? _Hard_ night wasn't it?" he laughed at his own crude joke.

"What do you want with me?" she spat, her back now touching the wall. "Why am I here?"

His fake expression faded to annoyance at her comment and he crossed his arms. "I thought I made it clear on the bridge what we want with you. Are you that ignorant?"

"Of course not. And if you think I've changed my mind about what you said, think again. Only a fool desperate for power would join monsters like you!" Xion snarled, making it clear to him which side she was on.

Vanitas' eyes narrowed as he thought for several seconds, after which he frowned. "Teh... fine. If that's how you want to play then so be it." Uncrossing his arms he began to take slow steps, sauntering over to where she was pressed against the wall.

Xion wondered why she had even bothered to converse with him in the first place.

Suddenly too close to him for comfort, she pressed herself even harder against the wall almost in the hope that it would cave in and she could escape. Cold fear coursed through her as Vanitas straddled her waist and pinned both of her arms to the wall. She tried to struggle against his iron grip, but her arms felt like lead. He breathed lightly in her face, that nasty smirk once again making a home in his features.

"I'm going to give you one more chance, _Xion_," he murmured quietly into her ear, almost seductively. She tried not to cringe in revulsion. "Join us. I'll make sure you have whatever you want if you do. I would make you ruler over our legion beside me. You could live like a queen Xion, and never have to listen to another order or complete another mission ever again. So I ask you for the final time. Will you join the ranks of your own kind? Or will you refuse?"

She sat in silence for a moment before sinking into a bout of quiet laughter. Vanitas froze as a smirk not unlike his own stared back at him.

"You really are pathetic aren't you?" she said in a sickly sweet voice. "Relying on persuasion to get whatever you want. No wonder you've gotten so high up in command. Anyone you couldn't convince to take the fall for you was destroyed. I'm right aren't I, you goddamn _backstabber_."

"You," he growled, baring his pointed fangs as he put a hand on her throat. Xion let her left arm drop slowly to the ground. "Get...Get out of my head wench!"

Xion smiled lazily. "Why should I? You have so many interesting memories up there to look at that I can't help but be intrigued by them. I can see everything... all of your faults, failures... places where you couldn't measure up..."

"Shut up." Vanitas growled louder, the grip on her throat slowly tightening.

"Oh, and it appears you were lonely as a child... such a shame. I can see wasted potential on a dark soul such as yours."

"_Shut up!"_

Xion paused to take in Vanitas' enraged expression. He looked like he was just about ready to murder her.

Her sickening smile faded as she continued quietly. "But at the same time, I can see potential that has _not_ been wasted as well. True, you have been through many hardships and have been affected as such, but it has also made you stronger. You have power greater than even you realize, just waiting to be released." Xion paused to let her words sink in. "As do I." She finished confidently.

Vanitas gave her a questioning look, trying to discern if she was lying or not. He didn't trust her enough to let her go just yet. "What makes me think that I'm going to believe you now? I should kill you for treating me with such disrespect! How do I know you're not just going to run back to muttface when I have my back turned?"

Letting her actions speak for themselves she pressed her lips against his, pulling him into a deep kiss. Slowly Vanitas released his grip on her other arm, and she moved them to hold the sides of his face. After several minutes she stopped, her arms lowering to the floor and breathing heavily. He just sat there shocked at the unexpected turn of events.

"That's how." She whispered, and gave him another peck on his left cheek.

With another smirk he stood up and took a step back, holding out his hand to her. "Does this mean you've had a 'change of heart'?"

"Yes," Xion smiled and took his hand. "I guess I have."

"Good," He said, helping her up off the floor. "Now let's go get you some fresh clothes and some breakfast. You must be hungry after all that's happened."

"Very. You wouldn't believe the slop they serve at the organization. Let's go get some real food!"

"HA, sure thing Xion!" He smiled as they exited to room and began to walk down the hall.

'_Congratulations Xion. Welcome to the Angels. Welcome to the legion!'_

**-Till November- **

"Roxas. Hey, Roxas. Wake up."

I groaned and rolled over onto my stomach. "Hah? ...Whuttimezit?" I slurred, absently wiping drool from the side of my mouth.

"Get up Roxas, come on!"

Sensing the slight tone of urgency in her voice, I stretched and glanced over at the clock on the wall. It wasn't long before I felt my face twist into a scowl.

"Lydia?"

"Yeah?"

"Any particular reason why we're awake at two o'clock in the morning?"

"We're going out."

I flipped onto my back and rubbed my face in an attempt to get myself further away from the realm of sleep. "And where exactly are we going this early?"

Turning to face her I could now see that she was fully dressed with her arms crossed. I could tell by the state of her eyes that she hadn't gotten a single minute of sleep.

"The woods. I need to clear my head, and I sometimes find that sleeping in wolf form helps with stress."

And damn, were we ever under a lot of stress. I had to agree with the idea though, and so far we hadn't had the opportunity to go 'camping' as Lydia put it. I could use the experience.

Once again, Lydia chose that moment to read me like a book. Grabbing a pair of track pants and a hoodie for me she tossed them onto the bed. "Get dressed. You can grab a bite to eat if you want, but we leave in ten minutes." Leaving me to my own devices, she went back into her room and closed the door.

With a large yawn I rose from the bed and walked over to the bathroom, grabbing the clothes as I did so. Once inside I quickly got dressed, brushed my teeth, and ran a brush through my unruly blonde spikes out of habit. I also stole a quick glance at the cut on my left shoulder- a wound I had acquired during the fight with Vanitas two days earlier. Normally I wouldn't have worried about a wound much at all, but this one was different.

It wasn't healing.

Me being a lycan should have nullified that, considering minor wounds usually healed in under an hour now. This one looked the same as it did forty eight hours ago after I had cleaned and dressed it; an angry red colour with yellow pus building up between the layers of separated skin.

It wasn't even that deep of a cut either; less than half an inch deep, and an inch in length. Well okay, maybe it was at bit bigger than what people define as small but for me, this was nothing. Still, this whole thing had me confused. And slightly afraid actually, for two reasons. For one, I could just barely pick up the faint scent of darkness coming from the wound. Because her nose was slightly weaker than mine, I knew Lydia couldn't pick it up. I was grateful for that- if she found out things would be blown out of proportion and the last thing she needed right now was another problem. And second, I swear its getting bigger. Its growing slowly, _very_ slowly, but I do notice a slight difference. And that's definitely not normal.

Putting thoughts of it out of my head for now I left the bathroom, and made my way over to the kitchen counter. Grabbing a pear, I hoisted myself up to sit on the counter while I devoured the fruit in record time.

With only the core left of the fruit, I slid off the counter and threw the remains in the trash. On cue, Lydia exited her room and locked the door behind her.

"You ready? We're going to take a corridor." She said quietly.

"Aye, capt'n," I joked with a nod.

Rolling her eyes, she opened up a corridor with a quick snap of her fingers. Without another word, we both entered and left the apartment behind.

Less than a minute later we were both standing just inside the forest on the other side of the fence. I glanced around, confused. Lydia was already walking into the woods towards the clearing.

"Come on kid," she called back to me. "Let's just enjoy the quiet for now. I'll even let you sleep in."

An unusual offering, but then again I wasn't complaining. Catching up to her I murmured quietly, "So what are we _really_ out here for?"

She chuckled quietly, responding in the same hushed tone. "There's more to life then action and violence all the time Roxas. Sometimes you just have to stop and smell the roses. You know; enjoy life for what it gives you. Not what you get out of it."

I glanced over at her with a frown. "Life gives you rosebushes?"

She put a hand to her forehead and sighed. "No Roxas. God, sometimes you can be so _dense_."

'_Well maybe I would understand if you actually explained what you meant!'_ I thought. Maybe changing the subject would be a good idea right about now.

Looking up, I spotted a couple stars peeking through the forest's canopy. "So we're out here for a bit of quiet. I get that."

"Yep." She said, making a popping sound at the end of the 'p'. I waited several seconds for her to say more, but she remained silent.

"Ow," I muttered quietly as a large pinecone dropped from the tree above and hit my shoulder, ironically the one that was injured. "That hurt!"

Lydia glanced backwards and gave me a look that clearly said, _'dude, it was a fucking pinecone. Man up.'_ "Well excuse me princess..." I frowned back, and she let out a warning growl.

I resisted the urge to twitch. I don't know what it was, but I guess my exhaustion must be getting to me. I just couldn't... stop... _talking_!

I didn't even have the chance to say anything else though, because as soon as I opened my mouth she fixed me with a glare.

"Roxas? Do me a favor please."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Pfft. You can't tell me to sh-" Lydia suddenly slapped a hand over my mouth and motioned for silence. I nodded and she removed her hand. Something was up.

With a quick point to her head, we lowered our mental barriers between ourselves. It was only now that I was picking up on muted footfalls from behind me. Someone was following us.

'_How far back do you think he is?'_ she said to me mentally. If we had to formulate a plan to escape, then we wouldn't want whoever was following us to know about it.

'_I'd guess around fifteen feet south east of here. You think we can shake him if we run?'_

'_No, our human forms are too slow. And we can't risk changing in front of him either; it could just be a civilian that somehow got into the woods.'_

'_If he's a civilian then how does he know our position and why is he following us?'_

'_Good point.' _

Because yes, whoever was following us was getting closer. The footsteps were getting louder. By now he was less than ten feet away.

'_Screw it,'_ I thought to her angrily. _'This guy is between me and my sleep. If he has business with us he can take it up with me.'_

"We know you're there!" I shouted into the underbrush. "Don't try to hide!"

"Who's hiding?" Came the voice from our mysterious pursuer as he stepped out into the moonlight. We both stiffened as his organization coat came into view. And once again, that damn darkness was preventing me from identifying him again.

I didn't even bother to give him time to explain himself. In a bright flash of light I summoned my keyblade and leapt toward him. I was done with the organization, and all the bullshit that went with it.

"Hey, stop! I'm on your side!"

In a momentary lapse of concentration I stopped. "On our side? What do you- who are you?"

"It really shouldn't have been that hard to figure out XIII," He quipped, and pulled back his hood.

Figures. I should have clued in the second I saw his scrawny build.

Taking a second to pull his long teal bangs out of his face, Zexion looked up at both of us with a serious gaze.

"You can call me Ienzo now. I've come to join you."

**Yup, thats me! Throwing you guys a proverbial curveball in the form of a plot twist. I'm sneaky like that. **

**So here's another update, several weeks ahead of usual. The reason? I wanted to get another chapter in before I get swamped by homework again. **

**Also, had anyone seen the trailer for _Cernobyl Diaries _yet? Just saw it for the first time yesterday and I was surprised to hear that Jesse McCatrney was starring in it. Huh. I never thought 'd see him of all people in a horror movie. **

** Anyway have to get back to work now (No, really I do. I'm in the middle of class), so I'm gonna stop bugging you guys. I hope to hear from you soon, and hopefully have a chapter for you guys when all this is over.**


	38. Mental Power

**_*peeks out from around a corner*_ Uh... hi guys! Sorry this uh... took a month... but its uploaded now at least.**

**Enjoy... and don't kill me please.**

"I don't believe you."

She saw that one coming. Roxas was incredibly quick to jump to conclusions and this instance was no exception. He needed to learn not to judge a book by its cover, but open it and read the story it has to offer. Quite literally in this case though she did have to wonder; was his accusation really that unfounded? She did know Ienzo from years before, true but at the same time he was now one of the organization. And the organization (save for Isa, Xion, and her brother) could not be trusted.

"If you wanted to join us, why didn't you act sooner?" Roxas continued, fixing the slightly older teen with a harsh glare. "Did you come here to ramble off a bunch of lies to us? Or are you a spy, sent to gather information?"

"Roxas that's enough!" Lydia snapped back at the apprentice. She was tired of his rash attitude and decided it had to stop here. "I realize he's still with the organization but even he deserves to be heard."

"But what if he's-

"_If _he is a spy, he will be dealt with accordingly," Ienzo flinched slightly, noticing the veiled threat in her voice. "But for now, let's hear him out. Ienzo, explain please."

He sighed, running a hand through his teal bangs before crossing his arms. "I suppose I should be truthful so I'll just come out and say it. I've known about yours and Saix's situation for several months now Roxas, even before you yourself knew what was going on. When I was still human I researched Lycans and was interested. By the time this"- he gestured to himself with a lazy flick of his hand- "Happened to me, I already knew enough about them to recognize the signs. I clued in to Saix first, but at that time I was still unsure of whether or not he actually was one. But after the next full moon when you became ill, I noticed those signs even more. A little more research confirmed it but I kept that information to myself. I knew that if either you or Saix were discovered, it could put your very lives in danger.

"Moving on," he said gruffly and cleared his throat, "You two are aware that the organization has increased their efforts to locate Roxas, yes?" The two wolves nodded silently as they took in the news. "I'd assume Xion told you that. Unfortunately, that's not the end of it. It gets worse, _much_ worse I'm afraid.

"Late last night, Xemnas called an emergency meeting. I know we're not supposed to be able to show true emotion, but that had to have been the closest any of us have ever gotten to an all-out _rage_. He was positively furious that our second and last key-bearer had also gone missing without notifying anyone of where she was going. He has suspended any and all missions until you and Xion can be found and taken back to the organization, at any cost."

'_**Wonderful...'**_ Roxas thought sarcastically. When Lydia glanced towards him, she saw him shudder slightly. _'We're running out of time...'_ She thought back to him, and he gave an almost unnoticeable nod of confirmation.

"That's not all. I've noticed in the past week that Xemnas almost seems to be getting stronger darkness-wise. He had high levels of darkness to begin with, but like Xion, his has increased exponentially in a very short period of time."

Roxas jumped in shock. "Wait, does that mean you know...?"

"Yes Roxas, I know about her too. It took a little more research, but I eventually put that puzzle together as well. And now she's been kidnapped, taken somewhere on this world by the others of her kind. You may not believe me when I say this but their intentions, or those to her anyway, may not be completely evil."

"Hey wait a second, hold on," Lydia cut in, "How do you know that? How could you possibly know what their intentions were if you were not part of their group yourself? I'm finding all this hard to believe."

Ienzo chuckled, looking towards Roxas. "I'm sure you know at least somewhat of their intentions through your connection with Xion. As long as she's still alive, their intentions must not be all that bad, right?"

Roxas looked like he was struggling internally with an answer before blurting out, "Yeah, but you have no kind of connection with her like I do. How can you be so sure?"

"My organization title may be the Cloaked Schemer, but illusions aren't the only thing I deal in." He said as a smug grin appeared on his face. "I'm also a third-class Psychic, and have been checking up on her every so often. I would have kept a permanent watch, but I'm only strong enough for five minute intervals when I'm not on the same world as my target."

Both Lycans looked shocked and excited. Not only were Psychics of any class extremely rare, but their abilities were highly useful for just about anything.

"Do you think you could use those abilities of yours to find Xion?" Roxas questioned, eagerness overwhelming his features at the thought of being able to save Xion.

Ienzo shook his head sadly. "Wherever she is, the signal is being blocked by some sort of magic barrier. It's so strong I can't even tell where it is on this world, never mind being able to break through. The only reason I know that Xion is still here on this world is the faint, _very_ faint signal I'm getting. But like I said, the barrier is messing with my powers and I don't know her exact whereabouts."

There was a collective sigh as the feeling of helplessness covered the trio.

After a pregnant pause, Lydia spoke up. "Well that was a very informative Ienzo, but you still didn't answer the question. Why are you here?"

Zexion sighed again as he scratched the back of his head nervously. "I'd like to quit the organization. I know I said that already, but it's the truth. I've gotten tired of being under Xemnas' rule. The thing is, I've wanted to quit for some time now. Xemnas is too harsh with his orders; he doesn't take the safety of the worlds into consideration. And with this last order he's gone too far. The way I see it if I'm going to get my heart back, I'd prefer to get it back by a more... peaceful method. I've had enough of all this pain and suffering. It has to end."

"You know if you join us, then you will have to fight with us," Lydia said solemnly. "We're not what you would call 'peaceful' people."

"But at least you're fighting for_ peace_." He said truthfully. "Peace won't come if it's just you two up against an entire legion of Angels. You're going to need all the help you can get.

"In any war, people have to choose sides. Battle lines are drawn, and which side you're on can make the difference between victory and defeat. I've chosen the side I want to fight with." He paused, slowly lowering himself onto one knee as he put his right hand on his chest over where his heart would be. "So please, Lydia let me fight with you. I promise to do everything in my power to aid your cause."

'_He knows the Old Way...'_ She thought as the shocked expression eventually faded from her face. Of course he knew the Old Way, he had read up on it. This surprised her though; she didn't think that he would go to these lengths to get her to let him join.

"Get up Ienzo. There's no need to grovel on the ground like that." He silently complied, dusting himself off in the process. She huffed, "What will you do if I let you join? Where will you go?"

The young nobody looked sheepish. "I... I hadn't thought of that actually." He stuttered at the question.

"Foolish decision kid. Thinking you can just come out here and I'd let you join. Just because you were a friend of my brother's doesn't mean shit out here. You have nowhere else to go but back to the organization do you?"

He looked down in shame. "...No."

Lydia sighed. _'Kids these days... never thinking things over...'_

"I suppose I have no choice then. Come here Ienzo."

Zexion's head shot up in surprise. "What?"

"I know you're not deaf, Ienzo. Don't keep me waiting all morning."

Hesitantly, Zexion took slow steps toward her until he was about three feet away. He squirmed under her intense gaze.

Lydia paused once more, the tension rising with every second. Deciding she had waited long enough, she spoke. "Now I want you to listen Ienzo, and listen well. I'll let you join on one condition. Before we have you tested, I want you to prove yourself to us by gathering as much information as you can about the organization, Xemnas, the Angels, etcetera. Whatever you can find that corresponds to our situation and you think can help us. When I think you are ready, you will be tested for our gene and _If _you posses it, changed if that is what you want.

"_But_," She continued forcefully, "If I find that you have betrayed us in any way shape or form, I _will_ dispose of you. Is that clear?"

"Crystal." He responded, his eyes full of determination.

"Good," she smiled, serious expression gone. "Now go get some sleep kid. It's late, and I know you're tired."

He nodded. "Yes. Thank you Lydia. I appreciate it." And without another word, he disappeared into a portal.

Roxas, who had been quiet for most of the conversation, yawned. "Well that was unexpected," He said quietly. "It must be pretty bad over at the organization if more than two people want to quit now."

"Yeah... it seems like the closer we get to November, the worse things get." Putting her hands behind her head, she looked up into the early morning sky. "Everything's going to hell."

Roxas sighed as he did the same. "The full moon's tomorrow too. I can feel its power already." His eyes almost seemed to glow as he said the words.

They were both silent for a moment as they took in the view. The moon was beginning its decent towards the western horizon, its powerful glow still visible through the trees. By now it must have been closer to four in the morning, and it was still dark. With the season far into fall the sun would likely not rise until at least six, by which time the Lycans would be fast asleep.

"I guess... all we can do now is hope that the angels hold off on an attack until we're ready." Lydia muttered to herself thoughtfully. It really was all they could do at this point.

Roxas crossed his fingers together. "Let's hope."

**-Till November- **

I woke early the next morning, much to my dismay. The one chance Lydia gives me to sleep in and my internal clock has to betray me. Wonderful. Something told me this was not going to be a good day.

Lifting my head off my big black paws, I glanced around. We were in our usual clearing, though from the sheer amount of use the grass had long since been trampled down. I could see an orange morning glow filtering down through the trees, bathing the clearing in soft light. If I had to guess I'd say it was around eight, maybe nine in the morning. Though I guess when I compare it to six or seven in the morning when I usually get up, this wasn't all that bad.

Across the clearing, Lydia was still sleeping. I figured this was a good a time as any to go for a quick run before she woke and started barking orders again. Quietly getting to my paws I padded away from the clearing, making sure I got far enough away before I started to run.

Running felt nice. The wind in my fur, moving so quickly my feet hardly touched the ground; it made me feel like I was flying. It was amazing. There's no better feeling in the world in my opinion. Save for the ability to actually fly. Almost makes me envy those angels. _Almost_. But as soon as I start to think about them I remember what they did to Xion, and all the anger comes flooding back.

Its times like this that make me stop and wonder about my life and what's happened. It makes me laugh too, when I realize people- normal people that is- would kill for a life like this. I can understand how they would feel; doing the same things day in and day out, every day's the same. Practically carbon copies of one another. Nothing truly exciting happens. Hell, the most fun some people ever have is a hold up at a gas station. Not that exciting. Not supernatural.

Some may think I have it good. I get the power to transform into a wolf. I get a magical weapon. I get power over magic through that weapon. It all sounds great on paper but the truth is, I'd rather be anyone _but_ myself. If I had been born normal, I could have had regular old friends, lived a normal life happily. But instead, I had to get stuck with _this_ life, _this_ destiny. Destiny obviously didn't like me.

I came to a halt once I spotted the river through the trees. It was one of the smaller ones- a tiny tributary that eventually led back to the main stream somewhere east of here. From what Lydia's told me the main river goes all the way to the coast, but beyond that I have no clue. An ocean? A lake? I'll probably never know.

I lapped at the stream, enjoying the cool sensation as the liquid rushed down my throat. Once I was finished I turned to leave, but I stopped at the sudden sting in my left shoulder that I instantly realized as the gash. I glanced down at it curiously, giving it a lick. The wound was hot to the touch, and was stinging more and more the longer I looked at it.

'_What the...'_

Before I could even finish that train of thought, the wound erupted into violent black smoke that continued to pour from my shoulder. Pure agony filled me as I screamed, the sound coming out of my throat as a hellish roar. Wave after wave of pain assaulted my senses, the darkness in my wound flaring and pulsing with the beating of my heart. I was blinded by the sheer amount of darkness that was trying to engulf me.

'_**Not on my watch you don't!' **_

Suddenly, I could feel a surge of light energy from within, pushing back the darkness and returning my vision to me. I could only just now feel that it was sapping my energy, causing me to sink to the ground. I tried to fight it, but by this time I was so exhausted I couldn't even maintain my transformation. Shuddering from the sheer effort I managed to shift back, curling up into a ball and trying to stifle the moaning I couldn't control.

'_**Come on Roxas, help me out here!' **_Ventus snapped, obviously having difficulty driving the darkness away. He needed help.

'_Trying...'_ I thought, forcing what little energy I had left into my left shoulder. It had the required effect, our combined energy acted as a sort of cork, stopping the flow of darkness and temporarily solving the problem.

I just lay there panting for several minutes afterward. I needed a moment to regain my composure- and my breath.

'_**Are you alright Roxas? That was some pretty intense shit back there.' **_He commented when I could form coherent mental words.

'_Fine, thanks to you. I owe you one Ventus.'_

'_**Don't thank me yet. That darkness will leave a lasting impression on our heart, deepening the gash that was already there.' **_

'_My... I mean _your_ heart was... injured?' _

'_**Yeah. Ten years ago when everything went down with Vanitas and I, after Terra and Aqua were killed, Vanitas and I fought. During the battle he tried to inject darkness directly into my pure heart of light, thus killing me. Technically he succeeded, but I managed to get away before he could engulf my heart completely. Darkness like that leaves a lasting impression though, and I was no exception to that rule.'**_

Sitting up from my fetal position, I dragged myself over to a nearby rock and leaned against it. Though I had recovered enough energy to talk mentally, I was still too weak to stand._ 'And now we're left with more questions than answers; the biggest of which being how darkness got into the wound in the first place.'_

'_**It had to have been Vanitas. He must have used a variation of the same darkness-injecting technique that he used on me. What's got me puzzled is why he looks the exact same after all these years. He still looks like sixteen year old kid,' **_He paused for a second, seeming to think something over before continuing quietly,_**'Then again if I get my body back, I wouldn't have aged either...'**_

'_So what do we do then? You're not really thinking of telling Lydia are you?' _

'_**Normally I'd say 'HELL YES', but under these circumstances we're better off not telling her. I know for a fact this is something that Lydia can't help us with, and like you've mentioned before there's no sense in making her worry over it. You and I are strong enough to hold back the darkness for the time being, and with the full moon out tonight to boost our power we should be fine. I doubt even Vanitas could best us in combat with the moon shining down!' **_

'_The only problem is that even with our combined strength, we can only provide a temporary fix. What do we do once Vanitas is taken care of? What if his darkness doesn't fade with him?' _

'_**I think we should only cross that bridge when we come to it. Better off not thinking about that kind of an outcome for now.'**_

'_Good plan. I like it.'_

Getting up from my spot against the rock, I raised my head and sniffed. Nothing unusual on the breeze, that was good. Closing my eyes, I listened to the forest around me, trying to hear anything that didn't belong. I didn't. The coast was clear.

Without missing a beat I opened my eyes and leaped, shifting in mid-air and tearing off into the trees on four legs. As much as I needed to stop and think over what just happened, I needed to get back to Lydia more.

I knew my tactic for dealing with these things was half-assed at best, but in a life and death situation you cope however you can.

**Strange ending is strange. Roxas you weirdo.**

**anyway, i got a great mark on my project (You know, the one that took me a month to finish and kept me from writing untill now).\**

** So now Ahat its over i'm really going to try to update as fast as i can for this month. I want to finish this by the summer and if i really cram i might just make that deadline. I hope.**

**Any reviews would be _phenominal_. **


	39. A Fighting Chance

_**(This is a little late but...)**_

**My heart goes out to all those affected by the tradgety in Newton, Connecticut. Stay strong.**

"So... where exactly are we going again?" Xion complained while walking alongside the Angel in black. "You better not be leading me off to some unknown corridor that I'm going to get lost in again."

Vanitas chuckled, trademark smirk coming back onto his features. "Oh come on now Xion, you know I wouldn't do something like that to you! I wouldn't wish that kind of thing on anyone. Not again, anyway," Gently taking her hand and squeezing it, he gave her a reassuring smile. "Besides, we're going to meet some friends of mine. They're alright once you get to know them."

Xion smiled back, then faced foreword as they continued to walk down the darkened hall. Eventually they came to a rather ornate door that was labeled '**REC ROOM**'in large letters. Vanitas pushed the door open, and she could see inside. Xion noticed immediately that the 'REC' on the door stood for 'recreation', as the room contained a large TV, multiple gaming systems, a shelf for hundreds of movies and video games, and a small kitchen with a fridge. On the right side of the room was a table that had bright lamps over it; giving it a 'meeting room-like' feel. And that was exactly what it looked like, with four other teenagers currently seated at the table. On the far end of the table sat a girl with tanned skin, blue eyes, and dark wavy hair. To her left was a tall blue-eyed boy with black hair that was spiked and slicked back, with some strands left foreword. Across from him was another boy that looked so similar to Vanitas that Xion had to do a double- take. He had the same hairstyle, only it was a little less spiky and his eyes were more yellow then amber. The last individual -another girl- seemed to stand out from the rest. Her bright pink hair was swept to one side in the front, and was pulled over her left shoulder in the back. She had a battle-weary appearance to her, bright blue eyes betraying nothing.

"I see the gang's all here then." Vanitas said in monotone as he closed the door and locked it behind him. Motioning for her to follow, they moved towards the table and took their seats. Xion sat at the end of the table facing the dark-haired girl. Vanitas sat on her right as he addressed the small group. "Guys, I'd like you to meet Xion."

"Where'd she come from? The back alleyways of the city?" the boy that looked like Vanitas spoke up boldly. "I dunno man; she looks kind of suspicious to me."

Vanitas frowned, and the boy flinched. "Watch your mouth, Kian. The only reason you're here right now is because you are my brother, and nothing else. Am I clear?"

Kian sighed, but nodded. Xion sensed that he was used to this kind of treatment.

The other boy smiled nervously, trying to clear the tension that had gathered in the room. "Well, I think he lucked out on this one. She's kinda cute! What do you think Fang?" He said as he addressed the girl directly across from Xion at the table.

"Boys..." Fang muttered under her breath with a frown. "They never learn do they? Ah, you'll get used to them after a while." Xion smiled and gave her a nod. "She seems alright, Vanitas."

Suddenly self-conscious, Xion glanced over to see the blue-eyed boy eying her with a smile at his end of the table.

"Eyes off his prize, _Fair_," Kian chuckled with a knowing expression. "You know my brother doesn't like to share."

"Hey, I was not-

"Enough." The pink-haired girl on the left side of the table finally spoke up. "We're not here for idle chit-chat. Vanitas, you wanted to tell us something?"

The teenager in question sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, about that... I've been given orders to take out the Lycans for good. A solo mission with Xion."

"WHAT?!" All four teenagers shouted in unison before descending into outraged conversation.

Vanitas let them go for several seconds before calling for quiet.

"I know that you guys are upset, but orders are orders. I can't change that." Vanitas said forcefully, exerting his authority over the other teenagers. "And besides, Xion and I can more than handle a couple of Lycans on our own."

"But this isn't fair!" Zack shouted and slammed a fist into the table. "We're more than ready to go out on missions of our own and she knows it! Even if these Lycans are as weak as you say, having backup never hurt anyone!"

"I'd have to agree with Zack on that one. What if one of you slips up and makes a mistake? Every move you make out there is more information in their heads." Kian spat, his yellow eyes glowing with anger.

"I _never_ slip up," Vanitas said between clenched teeth before taking a deep breath to calm himself. "It's not possible for them to get the jump on us. I've already set up a failsafe specifically for this reason. Observe."

Waving a hand over the table, dark smoke rose from it and formed into a mass of dark clouds just above their heads. With a snap of his fingers, the clouds began to showcase an image of a river in a forest. Also shown was a light brown wolf with black paws as he lapped water from the river.

Vanitas' eyes began to glow an eerie red before the wolf cried out in pain and darkness erupted from his shoulder. Satisfied, he sat back as his eyes returned to their original colour.

"What did you do to him?" Xion asked in awe at the sight.

"I just injected a little darkness into his heart the last time we met. All it needed was a little coaxing for it to try to take him over. I didn't inject him with enough to be seriously harmful though, so he should survive."

"But, isn't it the point of your orders to kill him? Why didn't you just get it over with?" Fang said with a confused expression.

"Because if I kill one, then the other would hide and I would have to use twice as much effort to find and kill them. And you know me; I _love_ to play with my food." Vanitas grinned, and the evil smile was reflected by all those present.

Waving a hand, the image of the wolf disappeared and the smoke descended back into the table. "Now speaking of missions, Xion and I have one to complete. Wish us victory!"

"Victory!" The teens cheered as Vanitas and Xion left the room.

**-Till November-**

My footfalls thundered against the ground as I made my way back to Lydia. It didn't take me long to return to where she was, only a few minutes or so. When I entered the clearing I could see her yawning, sharp fangs glinting in the morning sun. She must have just woken up.

'_Morning sleepyhead,' _I mentally smirked. _'Good to see you're finally awake.'_

She sat up and turned towards me, a light frown on her lupine features._ 'And just where the hell have _you_ been? You should have woken me up and told me where you were going before you ran off.'_

'_Jeez Lydia, lay off! I went to go get a drink!' _I said, the half- truth excuse slipping from my mind a little too easily.

'_Ungrateful apprentice...'_ I heard her mutter to herself before rising to her paws. Stretching and giving herself a good shake, she turned towards me again. _'Well, come on then. Let's go get some breakfast first.'_

I saw no reason to complain. Padding behind her, we slowly began to trek through the thick woods and back to the forest gate. Besides the creaking of the trees as the slight breeze blew through them, the forest was eerily quiet. No chirping of birds, no calls of animals, no sounds of anything through the undergrowth, nothing. And I soon found out why; the closer we came to the edge of the forest the more I could feel a terrible sense of foreboding from the surrounding area. Tension hung in the air like an invisible fog, choking my senses.

'_Lydia... do you feel that?'_ I asked in only a whisper, my voice seeming too loud for the silent woods.

She signalled for a stop, and lifted her nose into the air. _'Yeah... and I don't like it. We should get back to the town fast; I've got a bad feeling about-_

Lydia and I froze at the sound of a massive explosion. Seconds after, the ground shook below us as shockwaves from the blast reached the forest. With it was the tell tale scent of darkness- and Vanitas.

The Angels had arrived- but they were a day ahead of schedule!

We didn't need to exchange word to know what to do next. After summoning our Keyblades on instinct Lydia and I sprinted towards the gate, putting everything we had into getting there as fast as our legs could carry us. For all we knew, they could already be killing innocent people in the city and we could do nothing about it.

'_Roxas, before we hit the city I need you to transform back.'_

'_Why?'_

'_The Angels take advantage of their boost in magic more that physical strength. We can control magic better in our human forms; if you transform it'll even the odds between you!' _

'_What about you?'_ I shot back.

'_I have no choice but to stay in wolf form. Too many people might recognize me if I went in as myself. Plus, I need you to draw them away from the city if you can. Take the fight to the outer gardens and try to spare the people. I'll keep the unversed they undoubtedly have with them at bay for as long as I can, and then catch up. You up for that plan?'_

I hesitated for only a second. _'As long as I get to kick Angel ass, I'm up for any plan you have Lydia.'_

She glanced over quickly to give me a nod of confirmation before falling silent. By now we had reached the gate, and leaped over it with a single bound. In the distance, thick clouds of smoke were rising from within the city walls. Our sensitive hearing picked up the sounds of people screaming and intense combat. I could faintly smell blood on the breeze.

I swiftly shifted back before the two of us ducked into the passage that ran underneath the city wall, and out on the other side. What I saw made my breath catch in my throat.

Unversed in the thousands were everywhere, causing an unbelievable amount of damage. They were setting houses on fire, wreaking havoc with transformers causing sparks to fly in every direction, chasing and attacking people, and destroying everything in sight. And the explosion from earlier? An entire neighbourhood of houses had been turned into a massive crater.

My eyes darted through the destruction of the town before finally locating what I had been looking for- that bastard Vanitas was standing atop the city wall, watching the carnage with a gleeful smile on his face. My heart skipped a beat when I saw that Xion was with him. These people had just suffered a major disaster when it had been consumed by darkness, and now they were practically being forced to experience it again because of _him_!

"Vanitas!" I shouted up to him in rage. "It's us you want! Let these people go! Call off your Unversed and let's settle this elsewhere!"

He laughed, and even over all of the background noise I could still hear the sarcasm in his voice. "Aww come on Roxas! I wasn't planning on hurting anyone...much," Vanitas slowly and forcefully took Xion's hand as he continued. "I will agree to your plan _but_, the Unversed stay." With that, the two of them disappeared in a swirl of feathers.

"Dammit..." I swore, spinning around to slash through one of the Unversed. Just as I was about to go for another Lydia jumped in front of me and snarled.

'_Remember the plan Roxas! I'll take care of the situation here. Don't let them get away!'_

I glanced up feverishly, watching as another Unversed picked up a large chunk of debris and threw it into a house. I flinched when I heard screams from inside. Would Lydia really be able to finish them all off?

'_Roxas, GO!'_

Gritting my teeth, I pointed a finger at her. "Don't you dare die on me!" I said through clenched teeth, then turned and ran. Vanitas was going to pay for all the trouble he'd caused. For me, Lydia, Xion, and everyone in this town.

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally emerged on the other side of the wall. I spotted Xion almost immediately, standing close to the centre of the area. She had her back to me and was standing alone. This in itself should have raised warning bells in my head, but all I cared about was Xion at the time. I wanted to know she was safe.

I approached her cautiously, running until I was around ten feet behind her. "Xion...?" I called quietly, hoping not to startle her. When she didn't respond, I called again. "Xion are you alright?"

Finally seeming to acknowledge me, she slowly turned around and her eyes locked onto mine. I had to stifle a gasp. Her eyes were cold and lifeless, not a trace of feeling in them. This was not the Xion I knew. These were the eyes of a stranger.

_Xion... What have they done to you...?_

She began to move towards me. I was still frozen in place, watching this unfamiliar person. Eventually she came close enough for me to reach out and touch her, feel the skin on her face graze my fingertips, but something held me back. I don't know whether it was the shock of her eyes or primal instinct, but something inside of me was screaming to _get away_.

"Xion?" I asked yet again, in the hope that she was somehow joking about this whole thing, and that she would smile and say that everything is all right. She didn't.

Instead, she disappeared. The next thing I knew she was behind me, her hand crushing my neck with some sort of newfound strength. I felt her lean in towards my neck, mutter _'sloppy'_ and let go of me. Before I could react my back met her high heels, and I went flying across the makeshift arena. I ended up landing on my leg, and I cried out as a powerful jolt of pain ran up my entire body. My left leg was broken.

Hearing her approaching again, I lifted my Keyblade in a feeble attempt to defend myself from the unexpected threat. She just snorted and kicked it clean out of my hand.

I was a fool.

I couldn't defend myself because that would mean hurting her. And hurting her would _kill_ me. I was screwed either way you looked at it. I knew that my survival and the survival of the Lycans were more important, but my feelings for her were overriding my sense of loyalty. I would not hurt her. I would not kill her. And I _will not_ give up on her.

"Get up and fight," she sneered down at me and crossed her arms. "What happened to all of that bravery of yours? Show me what you can do, wolf boy!"

"I'm not going to fight you Xion," I said calmly, despite the increasingly bad situation I was now in. "I can't. And I won't."

Her sneer turned into a vicious frown. "Worthless piece of shit." She spat in disgust. Grabbing me by my collar, she lifted me up above her head before punching me in the gut. Her once delicate hands now felt like a ton of bricks being thrown at me.

This time I landed on my stomach. Clutching my midsection I gasped and wheezed for air, struggling to breathe. Forcing myself up on my hands and knees, I coughed as blood spurted out of my mouth and down my chin.

I looked up when I heard clapping off to my left. Vanitas had re-appeared behind Xion, giving her a smile that looked both proud and malicious at the same time. "Well done Xion. You've brought him to his knees without any help from me!"

When she made no response Vanitas spoke up again. "Well I guess you've had your fun. You can kill him now."

Xion remained silent, her eyes still trained on me. At his words, I noticed that she flinched slightly._ Very_ slightly.

"Kill him Xion." Vanitas said again with force. Why was she hesitating? Locking eyes with her I thought I saw a flash of anger, and felt a dull flicker of her conscious brush mine. Through the mental connection I could see a blurry image of her face, pleading for something. But what could she be pleading for? Help?

'_Xion...'_ I called out to her with my mind, begging for a response. _'Please Xion! If you're in there, come back to me!' _

I heard her gasp quietly. Suddenly the image being projected to my mind cleared and I could see what she had so desperately been trying to show me.

'_I'm sorry…'_

When I glanced back over at him, Vanitas looked furious. "What the hell are you waiting for Xion? _Kill him_!" he shouted, his tone sounding almost desperate.

"You know what Vanitas..." Xion muttered in monotone, her blue eyes smoldering with an intense hatred as she summoned her blade. Turning around, Xion fixed him with a fiery glare that must have struck fear into his twisted heart. "...I'm going to have to say no to that."

In a split second, Xion's raven coloured wings burst out of her back and she tore off towards Vanitas. Sensing the sudden threat, he summoned his own weapon and parried her attack. His own wings shot out as a dark aura surrounded him.

"You bitch!" Vanitas screeched with rage as he struggled to push her blade off of his. "How _dare _you!"

"I'm going to take that as a compliment!" Xion laughed heartily as she put more pressure on Vanitas' blade, forcing him to use both hands to hold up his sword.

I swear that had been the first time in a _LONG _time that I had heard Xion laugh like that. Hell, I would have laughed too if the guy trying to kill me had made an unintentional pun in the middle of a fight.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard Xion take another swipe at Vanitas. He had somehow managed to push her off of him, and they were now exchanging dark magic-powered blows that shook the area with mini shockwaves. I watched the combat in silence, sensing that this was Xion's fight. As much as I wanted to jump in and protect her I knew that this was something that she had to do herself. Something she felt she had to prove to me, and to Vanitas. She had grown in strength almost as much as I had these last few months, if the earlier beating wasn't evidence enough. Xion was no longer shy and afraid. She was proud, daring, and loyal. And right now, she was proving herself by protecting me by any means necessary. In the strange role reversal I was the one rendered useless, while she had to be the one to fight. Now I could understand how she felt.

While Xion fought, I struggled to move the bones in my leg back in place. Once they were, I followed up with a steady stream of Curaga magic to heal it enough to walk. Maybe even run, if it came to that.

The tide of battle appeared to have shifted, with Xion being forced backwards by Vanitas' enraged blows. He was gaining ground quickly, and Xion was forced to go on the defensive to avoid leaving him an opening to slash at her midsection. At this rate, she was going to be pushed back to the forest gate where she had nowhere to run. _**'Come on Xion… think!' **_I could hear her panicked thoughts through the connection as she struggled to stay calm. After a few more seconds she mentally whispered,_** 'Guess I've got no other choice…' "Hey Roxas!" **_she suddenly called out to my mind, _**"Distract him for me!" **_I smirked. A distraction- that I could do!

Sucking in a deep breath I yelled to Vanitas as loud as I could, "Hey you overgrown hedgehog! Why don't we see how fast you really are?!"

That got his attention. His furious gaze had turned on me before I had even finished speaking, and he started to take menacing steps in my direction.

'_Time to run…'_ I thought nervously as I wobbly got to my feet and limped away. I didn't know how much time Xion needed, but I hoped for my sake that it wasn't long!

Turning around to carefully hobble backwards, I could see Vanitas still advancing on me. Further behind him Xion was floating ten feet in the air, her dark wings spread out and her hands pressed together in some sort of strange prayer. Her eyes focused on mine the instant I looked her way. _**"Just a little longer…"**_ she apologized, and shut her eyes in concentration. Whatever attack she was preparing, it must require an awful lot of energy.

I continued to back away from the Angel, holding my blade in front of me should he decide to attack. With the state my leg was in, all of my options were limited. If he did force me into combat then I was practically a sitting duck. If there were only some way to… I gasped lightly. _That's it!_

'_Xion! As soon as your ready, tell me and I'll cast Stop on him and back away. That'll be your chance to attack!'_ That way, I wouldn't have to be anywhere near him when she unleashed her power. Something was telling me that whatever was a threat to the Angels was downright suicide to anything else.

"_**Almost there…"**_ she thought back. I could feel the energy she had been storing within her come to a peak, and her eyes snapped open. _**"Now!"**_

"STOPZA!" I roared as I thrust my left hand forward, catching Vanitas off guard. He froze instantly, his eyes still tracking my movements. After only a moments hesitation I dove to the side to avoid Xion's attack, ducking my head and rolling on impact so that I wouldn't fall and re-injure my leg. Once I was clear I looked back up and saw Xion pointing her blade at Vanitas as a brilliant violet aura surrounded it.

"Its over Vanitas!" Xion shouted, and then sped towards him at high speed. At the last second she raised her blade and slashed, creating a massive wound that went from shoulder to hip and likely severed his spinal chord too.

His body flying through the air from the force of the blow, Vanitas went limp the moment Xion's blade touched him. He hit the ground and landed on his back, his wings crumpling and black hair falling over his eyes.

He didn't get up.

Xion silently landed next to me, her own wings disappearing when her feet hit the ground. We both just stood there for a moment, wondering whether that really happened.

_**Is it over…?**_

Cautiously Xion and I took careful steps toward his body, our eyes searching for any signs of life. There were none, even when we came close enough to reach out and touch him. His body was completely and utterly devoid of life; no muscle spasms, the colour had drained from his skin, and his breathing had stopped.

"How can we tell for sure?" I questioned quietly.

Xion crossed her arms. "I know Dark Angels have hearts… I could always check for a pulse." She sighed. "Though I'm unfortunately still the exception to that rule." Kneeling down beside him she began to reach out her hand to his neck.

But for some reason, time suddenly started to slow. I watched frozen again, as Vanitas' eyes suddenly snapped open and fixed on me. A silent look of pure and utter rage was on his face for a split second as his eyes began to glow red.

And in that moment, I couldn't believe we had fallen for such an obvious trick.

Before I could stop him time sped up again as the previously dead boy lunged for Xion's throat, catching her in a death grip. Vanitas got up slowly from the ground, clutching at his back while still holding Xion's neck with the other.

"You _whore_!" Vanitas choked out, blood beginning to drip from his mouth. I guess he was more injured then we thought. "I _never _should have trusted you s-stupid wolf _bitch_!"

Unable to come up with another witty remark because of the crushing grip on her windpipe, Xion continued to claw at her attackers hand.

Shaken out of my stupor by his enraged comment, I bolted forward and sliced for his left arm. If I could just get Xion away from him for a few seconds, I could create a portal to escape and rethink our strategy.

That game plan was swiftly thrown out the window as Vanitas flicked his right wrist at me and sent me flying backwards with a gust of wind.

"_You…_" Vanitas snarled at me in an animalistic voice, his glowing red eyes and dark aura making him look like a demon from hell. "_I am going to make you suffer… a slow, and_ agonizingly _painful death…_

His lips curved into an eerie smile as he continued. "_But I'm not going to hurt you directly… no, that would be _far _too easy… I will cause you pain in another way…_" His light smile turned terrifyingly gleeful when he turned back to Xion.

"_A witch like you does not deserve to have the power… and now I will take it for myself!_"

Instantly Xion and Vanitas were both engulfed in a violet aura that pulsed with every breath. I could do nothing but watch as Vanitas used his power to lift her up into the air and hold her suspended against her will. Xion writhed and flailed, but some sort of psychic hold prevented her from breaking free and defending herself. Suddenly I felt what must have been something similar because an incredibly heavy weight was pressed onto my shoulders, forcing me to my knees and preventing me from standing.

"Your power will be mine…" Vanitas cackled with madness. "Now… _GIVE IT TO ME_!"

Xion screamed, a horrible, piercing, _blood-curdling_ wail that made me shiver in horror at his actions. Extreme agony was plastered onto her face as she struggled to escape the intense pain.

"_Xion!_" I cried, horrified that I could do nothing to help her through this suffering. Primal rage growing within me, I turned my gaze back to Vanitas. With both of his hands raised toward Xion, I could see him sucking power from her form. Looking closer I saw that he too was struggling, clashing with her will or spirit to take control of her power.

I didn't need to know everything about Dark Angels to know that if Vanitas did succeed in stripping her of her powers, there was an extremely small chance that she would survive, if that. He needed to be stopped immediately.

Fighting against the heavy force that held me down, I slowly raised my blade and pointed it directly at Vanitas' head. "Light!" I shouted without hesitation, watching as a beam of pure white light shot towards Vanitas. He didn't see it coming until the last second, and by then it was too late.

With a strangled cry, Vanitas fell to the ground clutching his head while the violet aura disappeared. The moment it did, Xion started to fall. Quickly dismissing my Keyblade, I shot towards her on all fours feeling a burst of speed and energy from Ventus. Twisting around, I caught her in my arms just in time. She lay, unmoving, with her eyes half-lidded and a small gash over her chest. Wisps of grey smoke rose from the wound.

"What…" I said, my breath catching in my throat at the sight of Xion. "What the hell did you do to her?! What have you done Vanitas?!"

Still clutching his head, Vanitas coughed as more blood dripped down his chin. It was only now that I realized that Vanitas' eyes had changed back from glowing red to dull gold. "Sorry to tell you Roxas, but you're too late. I've already taken back what was rightfully mine, and nothing more." He took several steps towards me. A small smile re-appeared on his lips, though it was somewhat weaker than before. "She now has absolutely no power whatsoever. Hell, she's practically human. You should be thanking me."

My teeth clenched in frustration. "For turning her into a lifeless husk? She's virtually dead, Vanitas! Why the fuck would I thank you for that?!"

Vanitas shrugged nonchalantly, taking another step. "Oh well. At least I get to kill you now. Stripping her of all that power took its toll on me." Summoning his blade back into the fight, he pointed it at me. "Do me a favour Roxas? Let me kill you quickly."

"Not on my watch you don't!"

Gods… I never thought I would be so happy to see her in my life.

Looking genuinely shocked, Vanitas turned towards my mentor. Frustration flashed In Vanitas' own eyes when he took in the distraction.

Glancing towards me, Lydia gave me a warm smile. "Roxas don't listen to a word he says. The only one that is allowed to kill you is I and I alone, understand?

"Yes coach." I smiled back, knowing Vanitas wasn't stupid enough to take on two fully trained Lycans at once. Now we had a chance!

Vanitas took a step back, and then another, warily looking between the two of us. Coughing again, he clutched his right shoulder and winced in pain. Taking a few more strangled breaths, he glared at me.

"This is not over Roxas, Ventus." He spat hatefully, as wisps of darkness began to form around him. "I'll allow you one hour to recuperate. Then, we settle this for good."

I glared back. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

With one last glance, the darkness surrounded Vanitas and he disappeared.

"Roxas are you alright?" Lydia asked the moment Vanitas had left. Now getting the chance to look at her I saw that she had numerous burns and scars from the Unversed's attacks. She looked weary, but still ready for a fight.

"I'm fine Lydia. But Xion isn't." Lydia glanced down at the unconscious girl in my arms, and her expression softened.

"I'd ask what happened, but I already have somewhat of an idea. Come on," she said, and helped me hoist Xion onto my back. "We have to get her out of here and treated as soon as possible. If this is what I think it is, then we have to act fast."

I caught her drift immediately. Thrusting one hand forward, Lydia and I concentrated to create a single giant light portal that would accommodate all three of us. Wasting no time, I hurled Xion and myself into the portal, with Lydia following close behind.

**-Till November- **

'_Hold on Xion…Don't die!'_ I silently pleaded as I laid the unconscious girl down onto the mattress as gently as I could. She was still breathing at least, and as long as she was doing that then I knew that for the moment at least she was okay.

As soon as we had arrived back at the apartment, Lydia had told me to lie Xion down on the mattress while she fetched the medical supplies. While waiting for her to come back, I slowly began to un-zip Xion's jacket in order to see the full extent of the damage. A light blush dusted my cheeks as the rational Lycan side of me and the hormonal teenager in me argued over whether or not Xion should be wearing a shirt underneath. Thankfully, she was.

Underneath the coat, blood covered her chest. The smoke I had seen earlier was getting more severe, but at least the bleeding had slowed considerably. It was not enough to stop entirely though. Xion had lost enough blood that her life was still in danger. She was running out of time.

"Heads up," Lydia said from behind me, and I turned to catch the towels she threw in my direction. I folded the small damp cloth and laid it on her forehead, and gently dabbed at the remaining blood on her chest with the other larger one. The other injuries that she had sustained during the battle could wait.

"Move over for a minute, I need to assess the damage." Lydia said. I stepped off to the side as she took my previous place. Hovering a hand over Xion's chest, Lydia closed her eyes and concentrated as her hand glowed green. I stood in an awkward silence.

Without opening her eyes, I could already feel distress from her. "Oh… Oh no…"

Panic gripped me as I heard her stutter. The only time she stuttered was when something had gone horribly wrong. "What? What is it?"

"This…" she breathed, opening her eyes and moving her hand away, "This is even worse than I thought." She paused, heaving a deep breath then pointed to the wound on Xion's chest. "You see the smoke? That's not smoke Roxas. Its her soul."

"Her soul?! But why…?"

Lydia looked up at me, her expression grave. "Xion's powers as a dark angel must have acted as a stopper for the soul. Now that those powers are gone, there's nothing to keep her soul within her body and its slowly drifting away."

"What will happen if her soul fades away completely?" I said quietly, not even trying to hide the shaking in my voice.

"I'd imagine that it would do one of three things, the most unlikely of which being that her soul rises to whatever heaven or paradise there may be. Another, one that I would not wish upon anyone let alone her, is that her soul goes to hell or the underworld."

"And the third?"

"She would simply dissipate. Cease to exist."

My heart pounded in my chest as I took in the gravity of the situation. If we did nothing Xion's soul would be lost forever, and a part of me would die with her. As selfish as that sounded, I couldn't bear to live without her. "We can't just sit here doing nothing! Isn't there something that we can do? Anything!"

Lydia turned her head away as she hesitated. "There… is only one thing we can do, Roxas."

I knew exactly what she meant, but my borrowed heart was trying to deny it. "You don't mean…"

"Yes, Roxas. I don't like the idea of doing this without her permission, but its either this or death. You have to change her, Roxas."

"I can't make a decision like this for her! This would be forcing our lives, our code onto her!"

Lydia's emerald gaze hardened. "You have to, unless you would rather see her die. Look kid, I don't want to see her die either. Believe it or not, I've become fond of her too, though not in that way." She paused, sighing. "She's your girlfriend, after all. I can't make this decision for you."

I didn't like the idea either, but we had no other options and Lydia did have a point. Even if Xion would come to hate me for what I was about to do, I didn't care. As long as she was alive, and had some way to defend herself then nothing else mattered to me.

Freeing her right arm from the sleeve of her coat, I quickly decided that the best place for her Mark would be on her upper arm where it would be covered. Putting a claw to her arm I carefully drew a small drop of her blood and put it to my lips. Without her angel powers Xion's blood was perfect to accept the wolf gene, almost as if she had been born to be one.

"Her blood is perfect." I muttered in shock. "She seems to have been stripped clean of any and all darkness."

"Vanitas must have done a very thorough job," Lydia deadpanned. "Lucky for us."

I nodded, raising my arm to my mouth and biting down. After sucking a small mouthful of blood from my arm, I moved over to Xion and lifted hers.

'_**Please forgive me Xion.'**_

Leaning forward I bit down on her arm, breaking the skin but only going deep enough for the blood to be absorbed. I waited for a minute, making sure that I'd passed the gene over properly before moving away.

Within seconds, the gash on Xion's chest began to close, quickly sealing itself until it looked like nothing more than an old scar. Xion's breathing returned to normal shortly after, and colour returned to her skin. She seemed to be sleeping now.

Looking down to her arm, I saw that my bite marks were still fresh and raw, but not bleeding. Unconsciously, I lifted a hand to touch my own scar. It was beginning to itch.

Sensing my distress, Lydia placed a hand over mine. "I've heard that mentors' Marks sometimes itch or burn after they've changed an apprentice. Looks like that much was true." She chuckled. "As for her Mark, it will take several hours to heal over, but she will be fine. The change was a complete success."

My gaze went to the floor. So it was done. "When will she wake?"

"It usually takes about a day for an apprentice to recover from the bite."

I nodded numbly, my gaze still lowered. "Alright."

Turning towards the coat rack near the door, I grabbed the sweater that I had been wearing previously and put it on quickly.

"Going to fight Vanitas I'd assume." Lydia spoke without looking up from Xion.

"Yeah. You and I both know that unless he's gone for good, none of us will live in peace."

She was silent for a moment, then: "Roxas you cant just abandon-

"I'm NOT abandoning her!" I shouted, turning back to face her. "I'm protecting her, and you! Don't you see? It's between him and me now. I'm going to kill him. And end this."

Lydia threw her arms up in exasperation. "This is Vanitas we're talking about here Roxas! V-A-N-I-T-A-S! You can't just go against him alone!"

"I can, and I will. You know I'm more than capable of handling him by myself."

"But what if he's not by himself? What if he brought unversed, or an entire Legion of Angels?"

I turned away, my expression dark. "Then I guess I'll just have to take them all out."

Lydia's emotions had gone from angry to desperate. "Roxas please, listen to me! Going out there alone… It's a death warrant! I can't let you go out there! As my apprentice, I order you to stay here!"

I stood silently, facing away from her. There was nothing she could say that would stop me from leaving. But I might be able to put her mind at ease.

Feeling Ventus' presence, I turned towards her again. Locking eyes with her, I think she had a feeling about what I was about to say next. "You know I can be stubborn sometimes Lydia, I always have been.

"Before this, I've never really had a reason to hold a grudge against someone. But Vanitas… All the terrible things he's done to all of us… I can't just let that slide." I paused, raising my outstretched arm and holding my clenched fist at eye level. "Vanitas and I have a score to settle. _We_ have a score to settle. Even if it means giving up my life, I will protect Xion, I will protect you, and I _will _protect the people of this town."

As I said this, Lydia's eyes grew more and more sad. Both she and I knew that I was going to fight a losing battle. Even after I had finished speaking, she remained silent beside Xion at a loss for words. I would not be coming back. This was it. This was goodbye.

I walked back towards the cot, my feet feeling like lead. I was going to have to leave them both without the guarantee of a safe return. It was taking everything I had not to break down.

Beside the cot, I watched Xion's sleeping visage. I tried to memorize everything; her beautiful sweeping black hair, the softness of her cream skin, her delicate rosy lips… If only this moment would last forever.

Leaning forward, I moved the wet cloth and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Before leaning away, I moved my forehead against hers and whispered: _'Be strong for me Xion. I will miss you.' _

Not wanting to prolong the goodbye any longer than necessary, I returned the cloth to her forehead and got to my feet once more. I was only inches from the door before Lydia's voice stopped me.

"Roxas, wait."

I'm still not sure exactly what made me hesitate. Maybe it was the tone in her voice. Maybe it was Ventus within me. Or maybe I simply wanted to hear what she had to say.

She was right behind me when I turned around again, and I looked into her saddened eyes. She was making this far harder then it had to be.

But true to her nature, she completely threw me for a loop.

"You stupid, selfish, bastard of an apprentice! I can't believe you! You never take others feelings into account!" She shouted, her head suddenly tilting towards the floor.

"You're lazy, ignorant, hot-headed, ungrateful…" she trailed off.

For fear of angering her even more, I quietly said; "Lydia?" As she looked up, I was stunned into silence.

Lydia, my tough tomboy of a mentor, was _crying_.

"But…" she sniffled, "You are the greatest apprentice anyone could have asked for. And I feel honoured to have been your mentor, if however briefly." Without warning she pulled me forward into a tight embrace, cradling my head and for all the world feeling like she would never let go. "Please Roxas. I don't care how long it takes. Just promise me you'll come back. I've already lost one brother. Don't make me lose another."

"I…I will." A tear ran down my cheek and I realized that for the first time, I had truly lost my cool.

_**(Just to be clear at the end here, Roxas did end up leaving still.) **_

_**At the top: I needed Vanitas to sound like a good guy almost, to give the ending of this chapter (and the story) more impact. It did not go over well.  
**_

_**On regards to Xion: Several chapters back she was kidnapped by Vanitas and ended up in their stronghold. When Vanitas threatened her, Xion essentially brainwashed herself into thinking that Vanitas was an ally, and Roxas the enemy. And when it came to their confrontation, Xion wasn't exactly in her right mind. Thus, she felt the need to apologize when Roxas finally managed to snap her out of it.  
**_

_**On regards to Roxas and his injury: Despite the fact that Roxas is a powerful werewolf, that DOES NOT make him immune to injury. However- his broken leg was 80% healed by cure magic afterward. It is NOT fully healed though- keep that in mind. Also, the blow to his chest that he received from Xion has given him two cracked ribs (wasn't mentioned in the story because not even Roxas realizes this yet).  
**_

_**On regards to Vanitas: The power draining move he used on Xion had its drawbacks- it leaves him weakend and essentially dead in the water. I think the best comparison would be to taking a pill or a painkiller- the medication may be inside you but it needs time to dissolve and spread throughout the body. Thats why he wanted another hour to recover; so Xion's powers would have time to kick in. (Vanitas is such a cheater but he's sooooo fun to write! :))  
**_

**_At the very end: Lydia lost Lea and the rest of her family when both of them were young, so that even scarred her mentally. And after being alone for so long, she had really attached herself to Roxas because of reasons already mentioned. By this point in the story, she thinks of him like another brother, or family member. Losing Lea was hard enough; she doesn't want to go through anything like that again._  
**

**And I'm back! After far too long i return with action and saddened goodbyes! Yay for angst!  
**

**But being serious here, the next chapter will be the last chapter in the story save for the epilogue (and the after epilogue AN because i have way too much to say). Hopefully i'll get the next chapter out sooner than i did this one, not only because I'm back into Kingdom Hearts but the next chapter will also only be half as long as this one. O_o  
**

**And please, even if its only a few words, leave a review. I'll be happy if i get just one! :)  
**

**Stay classy guys, and i hope to see you again soon!  
**


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